Antibody-Drug Conjugates for the Treatment of Hematological Malignancies: A Comprehensive Review

Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) are an emerging class of therapeutic agents that bring new opportunities for the treatment of hematological malignancies by meeting unmet medical needs. These drugs consist of a cytotoxic agent connected by a linker to a human, humanized, or chimeric antibody targeting a surface antigen specifically expressed by tumor cells. These ADCs are being developed to specifically deliver the cytotoxic agent into tumor cells. The cytotoxic payload is released from the ADC after internalization and cleavage of the linker, ultimately triggering the death of the cancer cell. Second- and even third-generation ADCs are currently being developed and have more stable linkers and more potent payloads, which should improve ADC efficacy even further. In this review, we analyze the results for the main ADCs currently developed and discuss the advantages and drawbacks of this therapeutic option.