Overview of the general management of acute leukemia for adults

Acute leukemias are a heterogeneous group of malignant hemopathies which are subdivided according to the cytological orientation of the pathological blast cell into lymphoblastic (ALL) and myeloblastic (AML) acute leukemias. Recent advances in the biological and genetic understanding of these diseases have led to improved treatments. Specific chemotherapy treatment or so-called «targeted» treatments, advances in bone marrow transplantation and better supportive care have gradually improved the prognosis. This review, focused on the adult patient, aims to describe recent progress in terms of diagnosis, prognostic markers and therapy.