The Promise of Cellular Therapies for Advanced Leukemias



Dear friends, in its April 2013 monthly edition, the MD Anderson Cancer Center Leukemia Insights Newsletter focusses on cellular therapies for advanced leukemias and summarizes the acting trials using them.  I quote the introduction and mention one of the novel approaches.

"Citotoxic chemotherapy has been the mainstay of cancer treatment for half of a century.  Dr. Emil Freireich and colleagues first reported dramatic responses in young children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with a combination of methotrexate and 6-mercaptopurine in the late 1950s.  The advent of hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) in the 1970s changed the treatment paradigm, introducing the concept of graft versus leukemia (GVL) effect and curing a fraction of patients.  As our understanding of our immune system improves, we are learning to use components of the immune system in a more controlled and targeted fashion, and, by combining these components with traditional chemotherapy and transplant regimens, we will hopefully develop more tolerable and effective therapies, and ultimately more cures".

"Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technology to genetically modify T cells and natural killer (NK) cells is a promising form of cell-based immunotherapies".

"The ability to instill tumor-specific responses in vivo is being supplemented by an ability to derive desired cell-based immune responses ex vivo for their subsequent administration.  Clinical-grade T cells and NK cells can be activated, manipulated, and propagated in compliance with current good manufacturing process from peripheral blood (PB) and then infused after HSCT or in lieu of HSCT after chemotherapy".

"In an exciting new form of immune-based therapy, patients with advanced acute and chronic leukemias have benefited from infusions of T cells genetically modified to target their underlying cancers".

As you can see, the future of our cancer patients, including those with advanced disease, is very promissing. 

Please do your part and share this information!  Thank you.

XIX Congreso AMOHP 2013

Estimados amigos, ya está en puerta el XIX Congreso Internacional de Oncología y Hematología Pediátrica.    La sede es la ciudad de Morelia, Michoacán y será del 27 al 29 de junio 2013.  Todos los oncólogos pediatras del país, así como colegas internacionales, nos reuniremos para compartir y actualizar  nuestros conocimientos.  En esta ocasión el enfoque será en las emergentes terapias dirigidas.  Como su nombre lo dice, las terapias dirigidas actúan especificamente sobre la alteración molecular responsable de la malignización de las células.  Desde algún tiempo ya se utilizan algunas de ellas como el imatinib mesilato para las leucemias con translocación t(9;22) y el ácido trans-retinoico para la leucemia promielocítica con translocación t(15;17).  El uso de estos agentes, en aquellos pacientes que sean candidatos, es alentador y el futuro muy prometedor, aunque aún falta más investigación para perfeccionar estas terapias.  Esta perfección se alcanzará con el mejor conocimiento de los mecanismos moleculares responsables de la malignización celular.  Compartan esta información y los esperamos en Morelia!!

Dear friends, our XIX International Congress of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology will be held in the colonial city of Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico, from the 27th to the 29th of June 2013.  All the Mexican pediatric oncologists and also international colleagues will meet at this forum to share our knowledge on the care of our children with cancer.  This year, the congress will focus on target therapies.  These target therapies, as its name implies, aim at the molecular defect responsible for the malignant transformation of the cell.  We already have clinical access to some of these therapies, such as imatinib mesylate for the treatment of leukemias with t(9;22) translocation, and also all-trans-retinoic acid aiming at t(15;17) promyelocitic leukemia.  The future for the patients that could benefit from these target therapies is very promissing, but still there is a great deal of research ahead to perfection these therapies, and that will be based on the better understanding of the molecular pathways responsible for malignant transformation. Share this information and we hope to see you in Morelia!!

Prezados amigos, nosso XIX Congresso Internacional de Oncología e Hematología Pediátrica, está programado para os días 27 ao 29 de Junho de 2013 na cidade de Morelia, estado de Michoacán, México.  Todos os oncologistas pediátricos de México e também colegas de outros países estaremos lá para compartilhar e atualizar nossos conhecimentos.  Esse ano o enfoque será nas terapias alvo.  Essas terapias, como seu nome diz, sao dirigidas ao nivel molecular responsável pela malignizaçao da célula.  Ha um tempo que nós temos utilizado algumas terapias alvo na prática clínica, como o imatinib mesilato que e utilizado nas leucemias com translocaçao t(9;22) e como o ATRA nas leucemias promielocíticas t(15;17).  O futuro para os pacientes que possam ser beneficiados pelas terapias alvo é promissório.  Porém ainda tem muita pesquisa na frente para aperfeiçoar essas terapias.  Um melhor conhecimento dos mecanismos moleculares responsaveis pela transformaçao maligna é a chave para dito aperfeiçoamento.  Compartilhem essa informaçao e venham a Morelia!!