title: The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer consensus statement on immunotherapy for the treatment of hematologic malignancies: multiple myeloma, lymphoma, and acute leukemia.
abstract: Increasing knowledge concerning the biology of hematologic malignancies as well as the role of the immune system in the control of these diseases has led to the development and approval of immunotherapies that are resulting in impressive clinical responses. Therefore, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) convened a hematologic malignancy Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines panel consisting of physicians, nurses, patient advocates, and patients to develop consensus recommendations for the clinical application of immunotherapy for patients with multiple myeloma, lymphoma, and acute leukemia. These recommendations were developed following the previously established process based on the Institute of Medicine's clinical practice guidelines. In doing so, a systematic literature search was performed for high-impact studies from 2004 to 2014 and was supplemented with further literature as identified by the panel. The consensus panel met in December of 2014 with the goal to generate consensus recommendations for the clinical use of immunotherapy in patients with hematologic malignancies. During this meeting, consensus panel voting along with discussion were used to rate and review the strength of the supporting evidence from the literature search. These consensus recommendations focus on issues related to patient selection, toxicity management, clinical endpoints, and the sequencing or combination of therapies. Overall, immunotherapy is rapidly emerging as an effective therapeutic strategy for the management of hematologic malignances. Evidence-based consensus recommendations for its clinical application are provided and will be updated as the field evolves.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 5150 Centre Avenue, Suite 564, Pittsburg, PA 15232 USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boyiadzis
authors.affiliation: Hematopoietic Cellular Therapy Program, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637 USA.
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Bishop
authors.affiliation: Indiana University School of Medicine, 980 W. Walnut St., Walther Hall-R3, C400, Indianapolis, IN 46202 USA.
authors.forename: Rafat
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Abonour
authors.affiliation: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905 USA.
authors.forename: Stephen M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ansell
authors.affiliation: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Avigan
authors.affiliation: Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven, 35 Park Street, New Haven, CT 06519 USA.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barbarotta
authors.affiliation: National Institutes of Health, Building 10-CRC Room 3-5330, Bethesda, MD 20814 USA.
authors.forename: Austin John
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Barrett
authors.affiliation: Weill Cornell Medical College, 407 E 71st St, New York, NY 10065 USA.
authors.forename: Koen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Van Besien
authors.affiliation: Mayo Clinic, 13400 E. Shea Blvd., Scottsdale, AZ 85259 USA.
authors.forename: P Leif
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Bergsagel
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 1650 Orleans St, Baltimore, MD 21231 USA.
authors.forename: Ivan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Borrello
authors.affiliation: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY 10029 USA.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brody
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, 5150 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15232 USA.
authors.forename: Jill
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brufsky
authors.affiliation: New York Medical College at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, 100 Woods Road, Valhalla, New York 10595 USA.
authors.forename: Mitchell
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cairo
authors.affiliation: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY 10029 USA.
authors.forename: Ajai
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chari
authors.affiliation: Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030 USA.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cortes
authors.affiliation: City of Hope National Medical Center, 1500 East Duarte Road, Duarte, CA 91010 USA.
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Forman
authors.affiliation: Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Box 704, Rochester, NY 14642 USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Friedberg
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 401 N. Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21231 USA.
authors.forename: Ephraim J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Fuchs
authors.affiliation: Yale Cancer Center, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06511 USA.
authors.forename: Steven D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Gore
authors.affiliation: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY 10029 USA.
authors.forename: Sundar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jagannath
authors.affiliation: Washington University School of Medicine, 660 S. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, MO 63110 USA.
authors.forename: Brad S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Kahl
authors.affiliation: The University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave, Chicago, IL 60637 USA.
authors.forename: Justin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kline
authors.affiliation: National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, 8500 Roseweood Drive, Bethesda, MD 20814 USA.
authors.forename: James N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Kochenderfer
authors.affiliation: City of Hope National Medical Center, 1500 E. Duarte Road, Beckman Bldg., Room 4117, Duarte, CA 91010 USA.
authors.forename: Larry W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Kwak
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine, 269 Campus Drive, Stanford, CA 94305 USA.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine-Hematology and Oncology, Case Western Reserve University, 11100 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, OH 44106 USA.
authors.forename: Marcos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Lima
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905 USA.
authors.forename: Mark R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Litzow
authors.affiliation: Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, Box 0324, San Francisco, CA 94143 USA.
authors.forename: Anuj
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mahindra
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology/Oncology, University of Minnesota, 420 Delaware St SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Dana B106, Boston, MA 02215 USA.
authors.forename: Nikhil C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Munshi
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd., Unit 429, Houston, TX 77030 USA.
authors.forename: Robert Z
authors.initials: RZ
authors.lastname: Orlowski
authors.affiliation: Swedish Cancer Institute, 1221 Madison Street, Suite 1020, Seattle, WA 98104 USA.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pagel
authors.affiliation: University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Civic Center Blvd, PCAM 12 South Pavilion, Philadelphia, PA 19104 USA.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.affiliation: Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905 USA.
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.affiliation: Patients Against Lymphoma, 3774 Buckwampum Road, Riegelsville, PA 18077 USA.
authors.forename: Karl
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.affiliation: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Ave, Mayer 513, Boston, MA 02215 USA.
authors.forename: Margaret A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Shipp
authors.affiliation: Hackensack University Medical Center, 92 2nd St., Hackensack, NJ 07601 USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Siegel
authors.affiliation: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215 USA.
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.affiliation: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065 USA.
authors.forename: Martin S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Tallman
authors.affiliation: University of California, Los Angeles, 10833 LeConte Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90095 USA.
authors.forename: John M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Timmerman
authors.affiliation: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Myeloma Institute, 4301 W Markham #816, Little Rock, AR 72205 USA.
authors.forename: Frits
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Van Rhee
authors.affiliation: Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, 1365B Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA.
authors.forename: Edmund K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Waller
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, 200 Lothrop St., Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Welsh
authors.affiliation: Patient Advocate, 33 East Bellevue Place, Chicago, IL 60611 USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Foundation of New York, 43 Longview Lane, Chappaqua, NY 10514 USA.
authors.forename: Peter H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Wiernik
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology & Immunobiology, Yale University, 333 Cedar Street, Box 208021, New Haven, CT 06510 USA.
authors.forename: Madhav V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Dhodapkar
keywords: Acute leukemia; Cancer immunotherapy; Hematologic malignancies; Immunotherapy; Lymphoma; Multiple myeloma