Combination chemotherapy plus dasatinib leads to comparable overall survival and relapse-free survival rates as allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in Philadelphia positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Background: The Philadelphia chromosome is associated with a poor prognosis in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). While hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been regarded as a favorable treatment option in adult Philadelphia-positive (Ph+) ALL, its benefit is less clear in the era of newer generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) like dasatinib.

Methods: This was a retrospective study that analyzed the outcomes of adult patients with Ph+ ALL treated with either combination chemotherapy plus dasatinib or combination chemotherapy plus dasatinib followed by allogeneic HSCT.

Clinical use of blinatumomab for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adults.

Adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia have a dismal prognosis with a short median overall survival that can be measured in months. Because most patients will have chemotherapy-resistant disease, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation remains the only potentially curative treatment. Despite advances in current management, patients continue to have poor outcomes and lack of durable responses.