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Leukemia/Lymphoma - Blood and Marrow Transplantation Research Program

Mark S. Kaminski, M.D., co-director
James L.M. Ferrara, M.D., co-director

One of the Leukemia/Lymphoma Program's most important goals is the discovery of new approaches to treatment for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Dr. Mark Kaminski and his colleagues have pioneered the development of a treatment called radioimmunotherapy that involves the use of radioactive antibodies that seek out tumor cells.

With a single treatment of Bexxar (an iodine-131-tagged anti-CD20 antibody), dramatic tumor regressions, including complete remissions, have been observed in 70 percent of patients who had undergone prior chemotherapy for low-grade, follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and had either relapsed or were no longer responding to chemotherapy. In the 35 percent of patients who achieved complete remissions, no return of lymphoma has been seen up to eight years after receiving treatment. In a study conducted in patients with low-grade lymphoma who had never received any other prior treatment, 95 percent of patients have had tumor remissions and 75 percent had complete remissions. Complete remissions are ongoing from two to five years so far. In contrast to standard chemotherapy, which can cause serious side effects, these patients have had few side effects. The Food and Drug Administration approved Bexxar for treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma in June 2003.

On another front, Dr. Harry Erba and his colleagues are investigating the use of antibody-targeted treatment for elderly patients with a new diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia. These patients have a poor prognosis and often cannot tolerate standard chemotherapy treatments. This new treatment, in which a powerful anti-cancer antibiotic is hooked to an antibody (Mylotarg), is hoped to have fewer side effects than conventional chemotherapy and yet offer an important new option for patients with this disease.

In addition, Dr. Andrjez Jakubowiak is working with colleagues to study a growing array of new therapeutic agents for multiple myeloma. These include anti-angiogenesis agents, proteosome inhibitors and radioimmunotherapy. These approaches are being tested in clinical trials in various phases of the disease.

Read about Blood and Marrow Transplant research on that program's research page.