Microenvironment Interactions in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: A Delicate Equilibrium Linking the Quiescent and the Proliferative Pool.

PALACIOS FLORENCIA; ABREU CECILIA; MORENO PILAR; GIORDANO MIRTA; GAMBERALE ROMINA; OPPEZZO PABLO

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

InTechOpen

Año: 2012; p. 21 - 36

Important progress resulting in high levels of clinical and even molecular remissions has beenrecently achieved in CLL treatment. However, CLL remains an incurable disease. Compellingevidence suggests that crosstalk with accessory cells in specialized tissue microenvironments,such as the BM and secondary lymphoid organs, favours disease progression by promotingmalignant B-cell growth and drug resistance. We are starting to understand which genes,molecules and accessory cells are involved in CLL B-cell/microenvironment interactions andwhat roles they play. Nevertheless, we need a more proper knowledge about the signalsreceived and/or transmitted by CLL B-lymphocyte, interacting with T lymphocytes, and/orwith stromal, endothelial, dendritic and nurse-like cells in the particular CLLmicroenvironment. Therefore, understanding the crosstalk between malignant B-cells andtheir milieu could give us new keys in the cellular and molecular biology of CLL that canfinally lead to novel strategies in the treatment of this disease.