Abstract
The field of tumor immunotherapy is still in its infancy. It is becoming clear that the human immune response is the result of highly complex, continuously evolving interactions between cells of the adaptive and innate arms of the immune system, the internal and external environments, and normal and abnormal cells (e.g., myeloma plasma cells). Despite the considerable advances in our knowledge over the past 30 years, we have still only scratched the surface of the immune system's interaction with malignant diseases such as myeloma and to date, this has not translated into significantly better outcomes for patients with this disease. This review will summarize our current knowledge of the fundamental immunology of myeloma, review immunotherapy trials reported to date and discuss whether, in light of the current information, immunotherapy of multiple myeloma is an achievable goal.
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Antibodies, Monoclonal / therapeutic use
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Cancer Vaccines / therapeutic use
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Chemokines / metabolism
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Cytokines / metabolism
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Dendritic Cells / transplantation
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Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
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Humans
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Immune Tolerance
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Immunity, Innate
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Immunotherapy / methods*
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Immunotherapy, Adoptive
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Interleukin-2 / therapeutic use
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Killer Cells, Natural / immunology
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Lymphocyte Depletion
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Mice
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Mice, Inbred NOD
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Mice, SCID
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Mucin-1 / metabolism
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Multiple Myeloma / metabolism
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Multiple Myeloma / surgery
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Multiple Myeloma / therapy*
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Neoplastic Stem Cells / pathology
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Neoplastic Stem Cells / transplantation
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T-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology
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T-Lymphocyte Subsets / transplantation
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T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / immunology
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Transplantation, Homologous
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Vaccines
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Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / metabolism
Substances
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Antibodies, Monoclonal
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Cancer Vaccines
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Chemokines
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Cytokines
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Interleukin-2
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Mucin-1
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VEGFA protein, human
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Vaccines
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Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A