The challenge of deintensifying chemotherapy for children and adolescents with B-ALL in the immunotherapy era.

Abstract

Recent clinical trials have shown that the addition of immunotherapy has substantially improved cure rates for children and adolescents newly diagnosed with B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Most of these patients now have outcomes similar to those previously seen in only the most favorable subgroups. As such, efforts are underway to study whether the incorporation of immunotherapy can allow for elements of traditional toxic chemotherapy to be removed while maintaining excellent outcomes. In this article, we discuss important considerations for such studies, including those related to which patients are appropriate targets of deintensification efforts and which elements of therapy are or are not appropriate candidates for omission.