title: Follicular lymphoma: today's treatments and tomorrow's targets.
abstract: Over the past two decades, the incidence of follicular lymphoma has increased. Contemporary treatments include combinations of chemotherapy and monoclonal antibodies, radioimmunotherapy, new targeted agents and stem-cell transplantation. Prognostic tools are becoming more important in helping clinicians and patients decide on the most appropriate therapeutic regimens. Gene expression profiling and biomarkers are promising additions to this armamentarium. When patients do require therapy, the addition of rituximab to chemotherapy seems to improve remission duration and may improve overall survival. Radioimmunotherapy capitalises on the capacity to target radiation directly to malignant cells, and is currently approved for the treatment of relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma. Further investigation is needed to clarify the role of stem-cell transplantation in follicular lymphoma. Only well-designed clinical trials can provide answers to the many questions that remain regarding the optimal treatment and sequence of treatments for patients with follicular lymphoma.
authors.affiliation: Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Medicine and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, 676 N. St. Clair Street, Suite 850, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. v-aurora@md.northwestern.edu
authors.forename: Vikas
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Aurora
authors.forename: Jane N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Winter
mesh_terms: D000477:Alkylating Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007372:Interferons / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D018579:Patient Selection; D011379:Prognosis; D016499:Radioimmunotherapy; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D000069283:Rituximab
chemical_list: D000477:Alkylating Agents; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D058846:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D000069283:Rituximab; D007372:Interferons