B-cell receptor pathobiology and targeting in NHL.

B-cell receptor signaling plays varied and critical roles in B-cell development, homeostasis and disease. The key players of the pathway and its many signaling modulators have been identified as well as some of the mechanisms by which the pathway is regulated. With the increased incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in recent years, there is a clear clinical need for novel agents to offer new options in resistant disease to potentially improve outcomes in curative settings. With the tremendous insight gained in the last 2 decades from basic science research, our understanding of the pathobiology of the B-cell receptor is leading to the discovery and clinical development of many new therapeutic targets such as Syk, Bruton's tyrosine kinase, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. This review will emphasize contemporary and salient findings on novel agents targeting the B-cell receptor signaling pathway for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.