Venetoclax in relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia: Are supporting evidences enough?

Abstract

Despite the progress in the development of new therapeutic strategies, relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) still represents a high unmet medical need. Treatment options in this setting include enrollment into clinical trials, allogeneic stem cell transplantation and/or targeted therapy. Nevertheless, it is associated with poor outcomes. Thus, the development of new treatments, which could ameliorate the prognosis of these patients with a good safety profile are highly demanded. Recently, venetoclax (VEN) has been approved for naïve AML patients unfit for intensive chemotherapy. In this regard, regimens including VEN could represent a valuable treatment option even in those with R/R disease and several studies have been conducted to demonstrate its role in this clinical setting. This review aims to summarize the current evidence on the use of VEN regimens in the treatment of R/R AML.