Therapy Response and Outcome Explained by Leukemia Cell of Origin.

Summary: In this issue of Cancer Discovery, Cai and colleagues delineate a new mechanism that links cell of origin, the transcription factor EVI1, apoptotic priming, and therapeutic susceptibility in mixed lineage leukemia–rearranged acute myeloid leukemia. These findings establish a cell of origin–dependent program that may be leveraged by therapeutic combinations to overcome drug resistance in chemoresistant leukemias. See related article by Cai et al., p. 1500.