Treatment of follicular and other indolent lymphomas.
The understanding of specific lymphoma entities continues to evolve. This is perhaps most clearly illustrated by developments concerning gastric lymphomas of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) origin, ranging from further evidence of the role played by Helicobacter pylori, to new information about the role of an apoptotic regulatory gene, bcl-10. Another area of productive research is the study of the mechanism of immune recognition and death signaling in follicular lymphomas. This should lead to refinements and improvements in an already very promising array of immunotherapeutic approaches, which currently ranges from vaccine development to allogeneic transplant strategies designed to induce a graft-versus-lymphoma effect. The clinical success of the chimeric anti-CD20 antibody, rituximab, leaves no doubt that biologic insights can lead to therapeutic advances. Researchers appear to be breaking free of the notion that alkylating agent therapy is the best option and the only viable treatment strategy for the indolent lymphomas. The current challenge is to apply new insights wisely.
McLaughlin
P
P
Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030, USA. pmclaugh@notes.mdacc.tmc.edu
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000188:drug therapy*
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D007372:Interferons