title: Diffuse large B cell lymphoma: molecular targeted therapy.
abstract: Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a biologically heterogeneous disease and the most common subtype of B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the USA. Even though it is a curable lymphoma in advanced stages, up to 40 % of patients eventually relapse or fail to achieve remission. Improved understanding of the biologic complexity of DLBCL reveals a diverse range of oncogenic driver mutations and signaling pathways that are essential for growth and survival of malignant cells. Since many of these signaling pathways can be targeted by small-molecule inhibitors, the therapy for DLBCL is currently undergoing a paradigm shift away from conventional chemotherapy and toward targeted agents that capitalize on an improved biologic understanding of the subsets with the highest risk of treatment failure. Participation in well-conducted and rationally designed clinical trials will be essential to realize the potential of these targeted agents and realize the goal of improving overall outcomes in the most common B cell lymphoma in the world.
authors.affiliation: Lymphoma Therapeutics Section, Metabolism Branch, National Cancer Institute, NIH, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. roschewskimj@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roschewski
authors.forename: Kieron
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dunleavy
authors.forename: Wyndham H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016403:Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014481:United States