Current and future immunotherapeutic approaches to multiple myeloma therapy

Abstract

SUMMARY  Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic malignancy associated with heterogeneous treatment and survival outcomes due in part to the ability of MM to evade and suppress the immune system. Research has focused on finding ways to modulate and enhance immunity while targeting the bone marrow microenvironment. Contemporary therapies include immunomodulatory drugs, proteasome inhibitors and autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplant and have improved outcomes for patients with MM. Future therapies, including monoclonal antibodies, chimeric antigen receptor cells and MM vaccines, show promise to further improved outcomes, particularly when used in combination with existing therapies. This review covers the mechanism of action of currently available and future therapies and explores ways in which treatment may be more specifically directed in the future.