Immunotherapy of multiple myeloma

The onset and development of multiple myeloma (MM) are closely related to immunodeficiency of the host. Traditional chemotherapy eradicates MM cells directly through inducing cell death, resulting in many side effects and poor quality of life. However, MM remains incurable and will eventually become resistant to chemotherapy, and progression or relapse is inevitable. The immunotherapy represents a novel therapeutic approach with few side effects and good targeting capability. This article reviews literatures on clinical data evaluating 4 major immunotherapeutic approaches for MM, including cellular immunotherapy, humoral immunotherapy, radioimmunotherapy and immunomodulation. Key words: Multiple myeloma; Immunity, cellular; Immunity, humoral; Antibodies, monoclonal; Radioimmunotherapy; Immunomodulation