What is the impact, present and future, of novel targeted agents in acute lymphoblastic leukemia?

The absence of a standard of care for adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the inadequate outcome of all adult regimens, and the lack of improvement in treatment outcomes over the past decades suggest a critical need for new approaches to treating adults with this disease. Several new strategies are now being considered, including the use of novel targeted agents alone and in combination with other chemotherapeutic drugs. This paper discusses several of these approaches and their impact on overall outcome.