Recent advances in antigen-targeted therapy in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Substantial advances in antigen-targeted lymphoma therapy have been achieve d in recent years that make the use of monoclonal antibodies a highly attra ctive concept and promise further improvements in the clinical management o f malignant lymphoma. The development of the chimeric anti-CD20 antibody ID EC-C2B8 (Rituximab) proved the concept of an effective therapy with a singl e unconjugated monoclonal antibody in lymphoma patients. Radioimmunoconjuga tes with myeloablative activity induced response rates of 80-100% in heavil y pretreated patients. Progress in the genetic engineering of immunotoxins has improved the efficacy of these constructs. Ongoing prospective clinical trials will define the optimal use of these innovative therapeutic agents in patients with malignant lymphoma, and may establish therapeutic strategi es with a high anti-lymphoma specificity and a low unspecific toxicity.