New agents in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia: a snapshot of signal transduction modulation.

Acute myeloid leukemia continues to present formidable treatment challenges as there is not yet a "standard approach" that reliably and safely cures the majority of adults with this disorder. Efforts to better understand the basic cellular and molecular biology of acute myeloid leukemia have unveiled a complicated network of signaling pathways that support the cancer cells. Disrupting the transmission of the cells' survival signals offers appealing targets for drug development. This review will focus on several exciting components of these pathways and the agents targeting these pathways that are entering clinical trials.