Immune control in acute myeloid leukemia

•Anti-cancer immunity can control cancer progression, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML).•AML cells can activate immune cells through various oncogene-dependent mechanisms.•An emerging role for MYC in driving immune suppression in AML.•AML relapse often exhibits epigenetic suppression of antigen presentation.•Reactivation of antigen presentation may be harnessed to treat patients with AML. [Display omitted] Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a genetically heterogeneous disease, in that a multitude of oncogenic drivers and chromosomal abnormalities have been identified and associated with the leukemic transformation of myeloid blasts. However, little is known as to how individual mutations influence the interaction between the immune system and AML cells and the efficacy of the immune system in AML disease control. In this review, we will discuss how AML cells potentially activate the immune system and what evidence there is to support the role of the immune system in controlling this disease. We will specifically examine the importance of antigen presentation in fostering an effective anti-AML immune response, explore the disruption of immune responses during AML disease progression, and discuss the emerging role of the oncoprotein MYC in driving immune suppression in AML.