A handful of novel antibody-based therapies may soon emerge for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to a presentation at the 21st Annual International Congress on Hematologic Malignancies: Focus on Leukemias, Lymphomas and Myeloma, held February 23–25 in Sunny Isles, Fla.

“AML is a highly heterogeneous disease, with poor outcomes, particularly among older patients. Conventional therapies have largely remained unchanged for decades. Improvements in outcomes are mainly related to advances in supportive care. Novel and effective diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic approaches are desperately needed,” said Amir T. Fathi, MD, director of the Leukemia Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

An emerging focus is on novel antibody-based treatments in AML, naked or bound to cytotoxic agents or radioisotopes, which carry the payload to the cell surface of the leukemic cell. An initial antibody-based therapy targeting CD33 was lintuzumab. This naked antibody was associated with modest efficacy, given as monotherapy or when combined with conventional leukemia treatments, Fathi said.

Gemtuzumab ozogamicin, an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting CD33, has demonstrated survival benefit in certain AML populations, but the incidence of hepatic sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, as well as controversies regarding dosing and schedule, have limited its pervasive use, said Fathi. The drug was voluntarily withdrawn in the United States, but has remained under study globally in recent years.

“After treatment with this combination, those who achieved remissions, and particularly those with no molecular evidence of minimal residual disease, lived longer,” said Fathi. Larger studies are necessary to confirm these initial, highly promising findings, and a large phase III, placebo-controlled trial comparing vadastuximab talirine plus HMA versus HMA alone is now accruing.

To read more please visit http://www.cancernetwork.com/ichm-2017/novel-antibody-based-therapies-emerge-aml

Source: Cancer Network