Treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma with anti-GD2 antibodies

Anticancer monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting specific antigens on the tumour surface are increasingly being applied in cancer treatment. Potential advantages include long half-life, low toxicity, high affinity and specificity. In order to develop novel immune therapies for high-risk cancers, finding tumour targets that are not widely shared by normal cells is a goal. GD2-disialoganglioside is one of them. It is expressed on the surface of a variety of tumours with no curative therapies for patients with advanced disease. In childhood, neuroblastoma is the most common GD2-expressing tumour. Because of this tumour-selective expression, it is an attractive target for tumour-specific therapies such as antibody therapy. Over the last two decades, several anti-GD2 antibodies have been developed. To reduce both toxicity and development of human anti-mouse antibodies (HAMA), research efforts have primarily focused on exploring anti-GD2 antibodies that substitute mouse components by human ones. This review will examine antibodies currently undergoing clinical testing as well as the most recent advances to improve antibody therapy for patients with high-risk neuroblastoma.