This antibody binds to GD2 and provokes an attack by different types of immune cells against the cancer.
In her study, Yu and her colleagues compared the two-year event-free survival rate (the ratio of patients who were still alive and did not experience a recurrence) of 113 neuroblastoma patients who received the standard treatment (retinoic acid) plus the newly developed immunotherapy with 113 similar patients who only received the standard treatment.
The event-free survival rate for the immunotherapy group was 66 percent, compared to 46 percent for the standard treatment group. The most common side effects in the immunotherapy group were pain, vascular leak syndrome and allergic reactions.
As the study is the first effective immunotherapy reported for the disease and the first improvement on neuroblastoma cure rates of the last 10 years, it has drawn worldwide attention and was reported in USA Today and by US television network CBS.
It is estimated that it will take at least another two years to get FDA approval for the therapy.
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