Beyond chemotherapy: new agents for targeted treatment of lymphoma

Abstract

A personalized treatment approach for lymphoma has potential to improve treatment responses. In this Review, Anas Younes summarizes the current development status of novel agents for lymphoma and discusses strategies to move the field forward. An improved understanding of the molecular biology of cancer cell growth and survival and the role of the microenvironment in supporting the survival of cancer cells, including lymphoma cells, has led to the identification of a number of potential therapeutic targets. Despite these advances, drug development for lymphoma remains slow, inefficient, and frequently unfocused. Future work should focus on identifying 'driver' molecular defects of oncogenic pathways that can be targeted therapeutically, discovering predictive biomarkers for treatment response, and prioritizing promising drugs to accelerate their approval. This Review summarizes the current development status of novel agents for lymphoma and discusses strategies to move the field forward.