Evolution of bone marrow transplantation – the original immunotherapy

Allogeneic bone-marrow transplantation (BMT) has provided a curative treatment option for chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) over the past 20–30 years. New drugs – signal transduction inhibitors – that target the bcr-abl oncogene have the potential to render such transplantation procedures obsolete and provide hope for those without a suitable donor (≈60% of patients). Here, we discuss how new drug and immune-based approaches could be combined to enhance treatment of this already ‘curable’ malignancy