Application of genomics for risk stratification of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia: from bench to bedside?

The remarkable progress in the treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) has been based on the adjustment of therapy to subgroups of leukaemia stratified by their prognostic implications. Here, the contribution of the last decade of advanced genomic research on the clinical management of childhood ALL is examined. The application of genomics for routine diagnosis of ALL is feasible but depends on commercial development of appropriate certified platforms. The discovery of several novel high-risk markers, such as deletions in IKZF1 might be integrated into clinical protocols in the near future. Several novel targets for therapy have been identified and have led to phase I/II therapeutic trials. This and any future progress depends on the maintenance of high quality bio-banks including biological material and clinical data of each patient enrolled on a prospective clinical protocol.