Haematological Tumours
Summary
Haematological tumours encompass a diverse group of malignancies arising from blood-forming and immune cell lineages, including leukemias, lymphomas and plasma cell neoplasms. These disorders are driven by genetic and epigenetic alterations that deregulate cellular differentiation, proliferation and survival within the bone marrow, lymphoid organs and peripheral blood. Acute leukaemias often present with rapid expansion of immature blasts and bone marrow failure, whereas chronic leukaemias exhibit a more indolent course but share the risk of progression and treatment resistance. Lymphomas range from highly curable nodal Hodgkin subtypes to more heterogeneous non-Hodgkin entities that can involve extranodal sites. Multiple myeloma, a plasma cell malignancy, characteristically disrupts bone homeostasis and produces monoclonal immunoglobulin. Advances in cytogenetics, flow cytometry and next-generation sequencing have refined classification into molecular subgroups, guiding risk-adapted therapy. Targeted agents—such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors, monoclonal antibodies and immunomodulatory drugs—alongside chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapies and bispecific engagers, have transformed management. Nevertheless, resistance, relapse and treatment-related toxicity remain challenges. Integrative approaches combining systemic therapy, cellular immunotherapy and novel drug delivery platforms aim to deepen remissions, minimise off-target effects and extend survival in both acute and chronic settings.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent clinical studies have validated an oral inhibitor of the menin–KMT2A interaction in relapsed or refractory acute leukaemias bearing KMT2A fusions or NPM1 mutations. The agent demonstrates favourable tolerability, induces differentiation of malignant blasts and achieves molecular remissions, establishing epigenetic targeting as a viable strategy. In parallel, biomimetic nanovesicles cloaked in haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell membranes have been engineered to home to the bone marrow via hyaluronic acid–CD44 interactions. These vesicles selectively deliver cytarabine to leukaemia stem cells, inhibit colony formation and promote apoptosis and differentiation, illustrating a precision delivery approach to overcome niche-mediated drug resistance.
Haematological Tumours publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in haematological tumours across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Haematopoietic stem cell (HSC): A multipotent progenitor in the bone marrow capable of self-renewal and differentiation into all blood cell lineages.
Minimal residual disease (MRD): The small number of malignant cells that remain after therapy, detectable only by highly sensitive molecular or flow-cytometric techniques.
Pharmacotype: A profile of ex vivo drug sensitivities in primary tumour cells, used to inform individualised therapy selection.
Menin–KMT2A interaction: An epigenetic complex essential for transcriptional dysregulation in KMT2A-rearranged leukaemias, targetable by small-molecule inhibitors.
Biomimetic vesicle: A synthetic nanoparticle coated with cell-derived membrane to mimic native cells, enhancing targeted delivery and immune evasion.
References
- Standardized next-generation sequencing of immunoglobulin and T-cell receptor gene recombinations for MRD marker identification in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia; a EuroClonality-NGS validation study. Leukemia (2019).
- Harnessing the MYB-dependent TAL1 5’super-enhancer for targeted therapy in T-ALL. Molecular Cancer (2023).
- Circulating miR-16 and miR-21 Levels in Multiple Myeloma: Prognostic Significance of Survival and Response to Lenalidomide Treatment. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2024).
- Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell membrane-coated vesicles for bone marrow-targeted leukaemia drug delivery. Nature Communications (2024).
- The menin inhibitor revumenib in KMT2A-rearranged or NPM1-mutant leukaemia. Nature (2023).
About these summaries
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