Immunotherapy in leukaemia

Therapeutic cancer vaccination, e.g. by using tumour antigen-presenting dendritic cells (DCs) that 'educate' the immune system to recognise and attack tumour cells, represents a new concept of treatment in oncology. DCbased immunotherapy elicits both innate (NK) and adaptive (T cells) cellular responses correlated with clinical benefit. WT1 mRNA-transfected DCs emerge as a feasible and effective strategy to control residual disease in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), in particular as a post-remission treatment to prevent full relapse. This innovative approach takes advantage of the intrinsic potential of the immune system to eradicate malignant disease.