ESH ALL 2021 | Challenges in the management of older ALL patients
Selina Luger, MD, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, discusses challenges in managing the treatment of older patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The main challenges are that older patients tend to have more aggressive or difficult to treat forms of ALL, and that they are more sensitive to toxicities of traditionally-used cytotoxic medications. Older patients make up a minority of ALL patients but are the most likely to die from treatment complications. Non-cytotoxic therapies have had excellent results in trials treating Philadelphia chromosome-positive ALL. These therapies can be targeted, such as blinatumomab or inotuzumab, or not targeted, such as venetoclax. This interview took place during the 2021 European School of Hematology (ESH) 2nd Translational Research Conference on Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
