title: T cell mediated immunotherapy for B cell lymphoma.
abstract: Increasing evidence suggests that chemotherapy does not cure the majority of patients with B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Therefore new treatment modalities are necessary. Immunotherapy of B cell lymphomas using monoclonal antibodies has been shown to be efficacious in murine model systems and also in patients. With the identification of tumor-specific antigens as targets for autologous T cells, T cell mediated immunity has been revived as an immunotherapeutic modality in B cell lymphomas. For B cell lymphomas the lymphoma-specific idiotype can be used as a tumor-specific antigen to stimulate T cells. Alternatively, the malignant B cells can be modified to become efficient antigen-presenting cells and present peptides from their own tumor-specific antigens to the autologous T cells. Here we discuss previous and currently explored immunotherapeutic strategies for B cell lymphoma.
authors: Department of Adult Oncology, Disease Center for Hematologic Malignancies, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. schultze@mbcrr.harvard.edu
authors: J L
authors: JL
authors: Schultze
authors: L M
authors: LM
authors: Nadler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019013:CD40 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D006801:Humans; D007130:Immunoglobulin Idiotypes; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D019013:CD40 Antigens; D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D007130:Immunoglobulin Idiotypes