ASH 2018 | PALB2 predicts poor prognosis in AML and indicates potential targets for synthetic lethal therapies

Giovanni Martinelli, MD, of the Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo, Meldola, Italy, discusses his group’s investigation of the DNA damage repair gene, partner and localizer of BRCA2 (PALB2) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This is the first time this gene, which is well characterized in breast cancer, has been associated with AML, and they found higher expression of PALB2 predicted a poorer prognosis in patients. Interestingly, this opens up the question of the potential for PARP inhibitors in certain AML groups. This interview took place at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2018 Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, CA.