Therapy-related acute leukemia.

Acute leukemias that arise as a result of treatment with DNA-damaging agents exhibit distinctive molecular, genetic, and clinico-pathologic features. In this timely article, the authors dissect the pathogenetic basis of therapy-related leukemias, elucidating important molecular mechanisms through which DNA damage causes these disorders. The authors also discuss how these molecular aberrations translate into specific clinical syndromes, and in addition, point out potential molecular targets for the development of innovative treatment approaches.