Monoclonal antibody therapy of patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphomas

Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas represent a heterogeneous group of B- and T-cell-derived malignancies. Although most entities are sensitive to chemo- and radiotherapy, many patients will relapse and become incurable by conventional treatment. Relapses map be due to residual lymphoma cells that can be detected by molecular PCR-based techniques. Immunotherapeutic approaches aim at eliminating such chemotherapy-resistant residual cells. Monoclonal antibodies have been used in their native form, or coupled with radioisotopes or toxins to selectively destroy lymphoma cells, and have indicated promising results in early clinical trials. Alternatively, bispecific antibodies and idiotypic vaccination strategies are used to target autologous T cells to eliminate lymphoma cells. Antibody-based therapies are currently being evaluated in patients with low tumor burden. A humanized anti-CD20 antibody showed excellent results in chemotherapy refractory lymphomas and has recently been approved for clinical application.