Pediatric-like therapy for adults with ALL.

Ten years ago, the first studies comparing the results of adult versus pediatric protocols in adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) clearly showed that differences in ALL genetics and treatment tolerance could not be the only reasons for the worse outcome observed in adults with this disease as compared to children. It became evident that intensified pediatric chemotherapy regimens could be associated with better response rates and longer survival in adults as well. During the last decade, the use of pediatric-like or pediatric-inspired protocols in adults allowed markedly improving the outcome of young adult patients aged up from 40 years to 60 years, confirming this initial observation. Administration of pediatric-like therapy in adults is now associated with estimated 5-year overall survival comprised between 60 % and 70 %. In this new context, the risk factors and the place of stem cell transplantation need to be reassessed.