Acute leukemia (AL) is the most common cancer in children. Despite the optimization of chemotherapy treatments and the development of supportive care, a certain number of AL's relapse and/or progress to death of the child. It therefore seems essential to try to better understand the physiopathology and the mechanisms of resistance to treatment of these diseases. The study of the microenvironment appears in this context as a promising avenue. The bone marrow microenvironment is composed of an extracellular matrix and cells, in particular mesenchymal stromal stem cells (MSC's). In adult acute leukemia, it has been clearly demonstrated that these microenvironment cells are reprogrammed by leukemia cells to allow the development and proliferation of the latter. Links have also been demonstrated in acute leukemia between the cells of the microenvironment and resistance to chemotherapy. In a certain number of cases, the support of the microenvironment for the development of leukemia or resistance to chemotherapy involves modulation of the energy metabolism of leukemia cells. This notably involves interactions between leukemic cells and MSCs and re-programming of the energy metabolism of the latter. To date, there are only very few studies concerning the role of the microenvironment in acute childhood leukemia and none to date has specifically studied the energy metabolism (oxidative phosphorylation and glycolysis) of MSCs.
Acute leukemia (AL) is the most common cancer in children. Despite the optimization of chemotherapy treatments and the development of supportive care, a certain number of LAs relapse and/or progress to death of the child. It therefore seems essential to try to better understand the physiopathology and the mechanisms of resistance to treatment of these diseases.