Personalized medicine in hematologic malignancy

Personalized medicine is the cornerstone of medical practice. It tailors treatments for specific conditions of an affected individual. The borders of personalized medicine are defined by limitations in technology and our understanding of biology, physiology and pathology of various conditions.Current advances in technology have provided physicians with the tools to investigate the molecular makeup of the disease. Translating these molecular make-ups to actionable targets has led to the development of small molecular inhibitors.Also detailed understanding of genetic makeup has allowed us to develop prognostic markers, better known as companion diagnostics. Current attempts in the development of drug delivery systems offer the opportunity of delivering specific inhibitors to affected cells in an attempt to reduce the unwanted side effects of drugs.Targeted therapies or small molecular inhibitors block the proliferation of cancer cells by intercepting their specific target. First of all, most of the small molecular inhibitors currently available in clinics are targeting protein kinases. These are an essential cellular component and blocking these molecules could result in cellular compensation. Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are the best hematologic malignancy for describe historical role of personalized medicine in hematologic malignancy. Maybe the first diseases that used new science for diagnosis, risk assessment, treatment and prognosis.