Biotherapy for lymphoma.

The unconjugated anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, rituximab, has quickly become an accepted treatment approach for a variety of B-cell malignancies. New directions for rituximab include its use in innovative doses and schedules, and in combination with either cytokines or chemotherapy. Other unconjugated antibodies (eg, CAMPATH-1H and anti-CD22) are available or in development. Radioimmunotherapy is another rapidly evolving field. In addition to therapy with monoclonal antibodies, other biotherapy approaches are being explored. The most widely utilized cytokine is still interferon-alpha. In general, other cytokines (eg, interleukin-2 or interleukin-12) may ultimately be best utilized as regulators of the immune response in the context of an overall immunotherapeutic approach. Exciting research is ongoing that exploits the host T-cell response, especially the development of vaccine strategies, and innovations in allogeneic stem cell transplant. The role of antigen-presenting cells (viz, dendritic cells) is also discussed in this review. A broad ability to exploit the immune system will hopefully soon be in our grasp.