title: Results of a Phase II clinical trial with Id-protein-loaded dendritic cell vaccine in multiple myeloma: encouraging or discouraging?
abstract: Recently gained insight into the role of dendritic cells (DCs) as APCs has attracted the attention of many researchers who hope to use them as a tool in immunotherapy for the induction of tumor-specific immunity in cancer settings. Despite high expectations, in multiple myeloma patients the results of DC-based vaccines in terms of clinical response have been disappointing. The findings of Zahradova et al. in a Phase II clinical trial with multiple myeloma patients corroborated these results. Although no clinical responses were observed, the investigators induced immunity after vaccination with Id-protein-loaded DC vaccine in some patients. These immunological results showed a trend towards a longer duration of stable disease in those patients that received the vaccination. Moreover, this study showed that Id-protein-loaded DC vaccines are safe and nontoxic and that they are able to induce immunity in some patients. Therefore, standardization of vaccination protocols appears to be the key to achieving a better clinical outcome.
authors.affiliation: Cologne Interventional Immunology, Department I of Internal Medicine, University Hospital of Cologne, Kerpener Str. 62, D-50924 Cologne, Germany. maria.garcia-marquez@uk-koeln.de
authors.forename: Maria A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Garcia-Marquez
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wennhold
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Draube
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: von Bergwelt-Baildon