Are immunoconjugates approaching “standard of care” in AML?

It seems clear that immunoconjugates, the combinations of antibodies with toxins, will play a role in therapy of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). It is also clear that sole emphasis on an average trial result is misplaced in AML, as the example of gentuzumab ozogamicin illustrates. Gemtuzumab added to chemotherapy can improve survival in many patients with newly diagnosed disease. The future of immunoconjugates, however, may rest on further defining the relation between CD33 and the AML stem cell and its importance in therapy. Three immunoconjugates with the cell surface antigens CD33, CD45, and CD30 will be reviewed here.