title: Novel treatment avenues for peripheral T-cell lymphomas.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) and natural killer (NK) or T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs) are a rare and heterogeneous class of diseases with generally poor prognosis. This work intends to provide a focused primer on clinical diagnosis, current treatment regimens, and novel therapeutic approaches. The recent WHO classification has defined 18 different subtypes of PTCL and NK T-cell lymphomas. Diagnosis is mainly based on histology, flow-cytometric analysis of surface molecules in the blood and bone marrow, cytogenetics/fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and T-cell receptor (TCR) rearrangement. Staging as well as follow-up diagnostic procedures rely on imaging techniques such as computerized tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET). Current chemotherapeutic regimens such as CHOP result in a 60 - 70% response rate; however, 5-year survival is only around 30%. Therefore, new treatment strategies are urgently needed. Currently, different drug classes are under scrutiny.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors discuss substances that directly target the tumor cells. The article includes such substances as antimetabolites, antibodies, histone deacetylase inhibitors, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and immunomodulatory substances such as lenalidomide.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the future a close collaboration of geneticists, biochemists, and clinicians together with new technologies such as deep sequencing will allow the refinement of treatment strategies in many diseases including PTCLs and NHLs. This refinement will allow treatments to be prepared according to the need of the individual patient.
authors.affiliation: 3rd Medical Department with Hematology, Medical Oncology, Hemostaseology, Rheumatology and Infectiology of the Paracelsus Private Medical University, Laboratory for Immunological and Molecular Cancer Research, Müllner Hauptstrasse 48, 5020 Salzburg, Austria. g.hopfinger@salk.at
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hopfinger
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Griessl
authors.forename: Eveline
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sifft
authors.forename: Ninon
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Lukas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kenner
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Greil
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Merkel
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D055808:Drug Discovery; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000145:classification; D016411:Lymphoma, T-Cell, Peripheral / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents