Advances in immunotherapy in multiple myeloma

Here, we explore the significant progress made in the treatment of multiple myeloma, focusing on immunotherapy and the promise it has offered to patients suffering from advanced disease.

Multiple myeloma, a B-cell malignancy, is characterized by unregulated plasma cell growth in the bone marrow as well as strong immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment. mAbs targeting tumor antigens overcome this, increasing T-cell activation, multiple myeloma cell death, and depth of response. Similarly, adoptive T-cell therapy aims to engineer or isolate tumor-specific T cells for a targeted approach. Finally, peptide and dendritic cell/tumor fusion vaccines reeducate the immune system, expanding the immune response and generating long-term memory to prevent relapse of disease. Many of these approaches have been combined with existing therapies to enhance antitumor immunity.

Immunotherapeutic approaches have remarkably changed the treatment paradigm for multiple myeloma, and encouraging patient responses have warranted further investigation into mAbs, adoptive T-cell therapy, vaccines, and combination therapy.