A Targetable Bone Marrow-Niche Axis for the Treatment of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Converging lines of evidence show that the endosteal niche within the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis and chemoresistance of myeloid malignancies. Dysplastic cells can exploit niche-dependent, cell non-autonomous pathways to favor their growth. Molecular delineation and targeting of those pathways may help overcome resistance to targeted therapies. In particular, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains recalcitrant to conventional chemo- and targeted-therapies leading to relapse and low overall survival rates (5-year survival rate <30%). These shortcomings highlight the urgency of proposing novel and adapted therapies for the disease.