Immunotherapy in multiple myeloma: current strategies and future prospects.
Multiple myeloma is still a fatal disease. Despite advances in high-dose chemotherapy supported by autologous transplantations, relapse of the underlying disease remains the primary cause of treatment failure. Strategies for post-transplantation immunomodulation would be desirable for eradication of remaining tumor cells. Toward this end, immunotherapy aimed at inducing myeloma-specific immunity in patients has been exploited. Idiotype protein, secreted by myeloma cells, has been the main target for immunotherapy as it is the best-defined, tumor-specific antigen. The focus of this review article is the use of idiotype as a form of protein antigen to immunize patients, to load dendritic cells, or as part of DNA vaccines. Various strategies of immunotherapy and the outcome of clinical trials are also discussed.
Yi
Qing
Q
Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy and Arkansas Cancer Research Center, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock 72205, USA. YiQing@uams.edu
D017951:Antigen Presentation; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007130:Immunoglobulin Idiotypes / Q000276:immunology; D007167:Immunotherapy; D017710:Lymphocyte Transfusion; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D009194:Myeloma Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D007130:Immunoglobulin Idiotypes; D009194:Myeloma Proteins; D019444:Vaccines, DNA