EBMT 2017 | Allogeneic transplant is not the quintessential treatment for ALL anymore!

Prof. Sebastien Giebel, MD, PhD of Institute of Oncology, Gliwice, Poland discusses current and future treatment options for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Allogeneic transplant is still an extremely viable option in the treatment of ALL however, novel immunotherapeutic strategies are slowly being introduced. Blinatumomab is a bispecific T-cell engager antibody that fights against B-lymphoblasts, and has been proven to be effective in eradicating minimum residual disease in clinical trials. Due to its success, physicians are working towards incorporating blinatumomab into first-line therapy for ALL. Another novel immunotherapy approach is the use of CAR T-cells, which involves harnessing a patients’ own immune system to recognize and attack their tumors. As well as novel therapies, there has been an increase in successful allogeneic transplants, both sibling and unrelated donor transplants, due to an improvement in immunosuppressive protocols and a resultant reduced risk of transplant-related mortality. Combining novel therapies with increasingly successful existing ones means that a maximum number of patients can be cured from ALL. Recorded at the 2017 annual meeting of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.