Retinoid therapy of childhood cancer

This article focuses on retinoid therapy of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and neuroblastoma, Preclinical data in APL and neuroblastoma suggest that retinoic acids (RAs) induce tumor cell differentiation, which then leads to sustained arrest of tumor cell proliferation, tumor cell apoptosis, or both, Accordingly, induction of cancer cell differentiation is reviewed briefly. The various retinoids in clinical use, how retinoids alter gene expression via retinoid receptors, and the preclinical and clinical studies of retinoids in APL and neuroblastoma are reviewed, Finally, drugs that may be effective against RA-resistant disease, especially the synthetic retinoid fenretinide, are reviewed.