Mixed phenotype acute leukemia – how to diagnose, how to treat?

Abstract

In 2009, the World Health Organization has published an updated classification of proliferative diseases, whereby biphenotypic acute leukemia and acute bilineal leukemia, which previously were two separate diseases, were replaced by a single name, mixed phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL). Incidence of MPAL is not exactly known and varies in different publications from 0.5 to 5% of all leukemias in children. In these patients genetic disorders are particularly important for both diagnosis and prognosis. However, due to the still unsatisfactory outcome, the main problem remains optimal therapeutic strategy of patients with MPAL. The majority of research points to better outcomes of MPAL treatment with usage of therapeutic programs for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), although the results are worse than in patients with ALL. An attempt to standardize the therapeutic approach and further improve is the project iBFM AMBI2012.