T cell mediated immunotherapy for B cell lymphoma

Increasing evidence suggests that chemotherapy does not cure the majority o f patients with B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Therefore new treatmen t modalities are necessary. Immunotherapy of B cell lymphomas using monoclo nal antibodies has been shown to be efficacious in murine model systems and also in patients. With the identification of tumor-specific antigens as ta rgets for autologous T cells, T cell mediated immunity has been revived as an immunotherapeutic modality in B cell lymphomas. For B cell lymphomas the lymphoma-specific idiotype can be used as a tumor-specific antigen to stim ulate T cells. Alternatively, the malignant B cells can be modified to beco me efficient antigen-presenting cells and present peptides from their own t umor-specific antigens to the autologous T cells. Here we discuss previous and currently explored immunotherapeutic strategies for B cell lymphoma.