Advances in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Part 1 of a 3-part series: Aggressive lymphomas

Richard I. Fisher, Bertrand Coiffier, Julie M. Vose

Research output: Contribution to journalEditorialpeer-review

Abstract

The treatment of patients with aggressive lymphomas has improved significantly in recent years, primarily due to the introduction of targeted therapy with the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab in combination with chemotherapy. Rituximab has significantly improved overall survival and progression-free survival in patients with aggressive lymphomas, even those with high-risk disease. Ongoing research aims to determine the optimal uses of rituximab for including and maintaining remission in a variety of settings. Another important area of focus has been the investigation into prognostic and predictive factors. Assessing each patient according to different prognostic factors allows clinicians to best determine a patient's risk and develop a suitable therapy. Microarray analysis is being used in this area to determine gene expression patterns associated with responses to therapy and ultimately to identify specific genes associated with various outcomes. The identification of relevant genes could indicate specific patients that might benefit from targeted therapy, and may reveal additional therapeutic targets. These investigation have already identified several candidate genes that may be appropriate targets for therapy, such as Bcl-2, protein kinase C-β, and nuclear factor-κ B. The future of therapy for aggressive lymphomas will likely involve identifying the molecular profile for each patient and designing an appropriate targeted therapy based on their specific situation. Recent and ongoing studies are moving us closer towards that goal.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1+3
JournalClinical Advances in Hematology and Oncology
Volume4
Issue number4 SUPPL. 10
StatePublished - Apr 2006

Keywords

  • Aggressive lymphoma
  • Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
  • Microarray analysis
  • Monoclonal antibodies
  • Radioimmunotheraphy
  • Transplantation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Hematology
  • Oncology

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