LA LEUCEMIA LINFOBLASTICA ACUTA: UN MODELLO DI PERCORSO TERAPEUTICO DELLA PEDIATRIA MODERNA.

As in the past interested and involvedpeople were willing to leave the shore towardsthe unknown, looking for new andfuture perspectives, in the same way, concerningtherapy of acute lymphoblasticleukaemia, many people, from differentcountries and through alternative routes,sometime converging ones, have undertakena long journey towards the “unknownworld of the disease”. Initiallythey were defeated, as the disease was incurableuntil 50 years ago, but thereafterthey won many battles and got able to obtainabout 80% of cure. Continuous andsystematic research of new “tools andweapons”, more sophisticated and specificones, such as new generation drugs,immunotherapy and gene therapy, arewaited for additional success at shortand long term. Another important goal toachieve is to allow sick children the safestjourney towards the cure, i.e. lacking ofrisks and consequences, regardless theeconomy and the latitude of the countrieswhere the disease shows up. Thisreview aimed to register the “board diary”of this long and not ended journey