All content on this site is intended for healthcare professionals only. By acknowledging this message and accessing the information on this website you are confirming that you are a Healthcare Professional. If you are a patient or carer, please visit Know AML.
The aml Hub website uses a third-party service provided by Google that dynamically translates web content. Translations are machine generated, so may not be an exact or complete translation, and the aml Hub cannot guarantee the accuracy of translated content. The aml and its employees will not be liable for any direct, indirect, or consequential damages (even if foreseeable) resulting from use of the Google Translate feature. For further support with Google Translate, visit Google Translate Help.
The AML Hub is an independent medical education platform, sponsored by Astellas, Daiichi Sankyo, Johnson & Johnson, Kura Oncology and Syndax, and has been supported through educational grants from Bristol Myers Squibb and the Hippocrate Conference Institute, an association of the Servier Group. The funders are allowed no direct influence on our content. The levels of sponsorship listed are reflective of the amount of funding given. View funders.
Now you can support HCPs in making informed decisions for their patients
Your contribution helps us continuously deliver expertly curated content to HCPs worldwide. You will also have the opportunity to make a content suggestion for consideration and receive updates on the impact contributions are making to our content.
Find out moreCreate an account and access these new features:
Bookmark content to read later
Select your specific areas of interest
View AML content recommended for you
Despite the great advancements in treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), high relapse rates are still a concern. Immunotherapy may provide an alternative approach to chemotherapy. In fact, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) named immunotherapy in cancer as the ‘Advance of the Year’ in its Clinical Cancer Advances 2016 report.
According to Soumaya Karaki et al., cancer vaccines trigger an anti-tumor immune response after immunization with a defined tumor-specific antigen or modified tumor cells. The use of vaccines in AML is still under development. Kazusa Ishii and Austin J. Barrett conducted a review of vaccine therapy in AML. This review was published in Therapeutic Advances in Hematology. They state that there are a few studies in this area of development and the clinical benefits have been unclear. For example, in phase I/II study single epitopes of WT1 and PR1 peptides were given with adjuvant to patients with AML and/or Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) there were huge reductions in Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) through the increase in PR1 and WT1 specific T-cells, although Kazusa Ishii and Austin J. Barrett report that these effects did not correlate to a meaningful clinical response.
Yet, trials using the WT1 peptide alone in 51 patients with MDS and/or AML reviewed by Di Stasi et al., and part of the report by Kazusa Ishii and Austin J. Barrett, demonstrated more promising effects of this vaccine. In terms of tolerability, there were not any safety concerns and, in terms of clinical response, some patients achieved disease-free survival of up to 8 years.
Kazusa Ishii and Austin J. Barrett also reviewed the use of vaccines after Hematopoietic Stem-Cell Transplant (HSCT). They report that this approach has the following benefits:
In summary the use of vaccine therapy has potential, nonetheless, authors state there is a need to further investigate this therapy through large randomized clinical trials.
References