Immunotherapy of lymphoma: update and review of the literature

Purpose. The therapeutic options for treating patients with lymphoma have dramatically expanded with the advent of immune-based treatments. While monoclonal antibodies have quickly become incorporated into the therapeutic armamentarium in the treatment of lymphoma, others have struggled to find a niche. This review will summarize the state of the art of this burgeoning therapy. Recent findings. The optimal use and timing of existing immunotherapies such as rituximab and radioimmunoconjugates has generated much data in the past few years. Other research has concentrated on the development of newer generation antibodies with alternate binding sites, such as epratuzumab and HU1D10, and bispecific antibodies that can directly interact with cellular immunity. Furthermore, the role of therapeutic vaccines continued to be an important ongoing research question. Summary. This review will enumerate the available and most promising developments in immunotherapy as well as provide a working framework to incorporate them into the treatment paradigm for patients with lymphoma.