title: Emerging therapies provide new opportunities to reshape the multifaceted interactions between the immune system and lymphoma cells.
abstract: The acquisition of a complete neoplastic phenotype requires cancer cells to develop escape mechanisms from the host immune system. This phenomenon, commonly referred to as 'immune evasion,' represents a hallmark of cancers and results from a Darwinian selection of the fittest tumor clones. First reported in solid tumors, cancer immunoescape characterizes several hematological malignancies. The biological bases of cancer immunoescape have recently been disclosed and include: (i) impaired human leukocyte antigen-mediated cancer cell recognition (B2M, CD58, CTIIA, CD80/CD86, CD28 and CTLA-4 mutations); (ii) deranged apoptotic mechanisms (reduced pro-apoptotic signals and/or increased expression of anti-apoptotic molecules); and (iii) changes in the tumor microenvironment involving regulatory T cells and tumor-associated macrophages. These immune-escape mechanisms characterize both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin (B and T cell) lymphomas and represent a promising target for new anti-tumor therapies. In the present review, the principles of cancer immunoescape and their role in human lymphomagenesis are illustrated. Current therapies targeting these pathways and possible applications for lymphoma treatment are also addressed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.|General Pathology and Cytopathology Unit, Department of Medicine-DIMED, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4006-7317
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pizzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boi
authors.affiliation: Lymphoma and Genomics Research Program, IOR Institute of Oncology Research, Bellinzona, Switzerland.|IOSI Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland, Bellinzona, Switzerland.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bertoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA.|Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Science and Center for Experimental Research and Medical Studies (CeRMS), University of Turin, Turin, Italy.|Department of Pathology and NYU Cancer Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Inghirami
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000276:immunology*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology; D019139:Tumor Escape; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment / Q000276:immunology