Synthetic Lethality Approaches in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Abstract

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a remarkable cancer that mainly affects children, has seen commendable advances in its treatment. However, the occurrence of relapses after initial treatments poses a major threat and is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality in pediatric patients. To address this problem, innovative therapeutic approaches for ALL need to be continuously developed and refined. Synthetic lethality, an interaction between genes in which alteration of only one allows survival, but simultaneous alteration of both leads to inviability, is emerging as a promising therapeutic approach against ALL and other cancers. In this regard, the review aims to examine the documented cases of synthetic lethality in ALL reported to date (2023) and to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. Furthermore, this review explores possible targets that have so far gone unnoticed, justifying their importance in this context.