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mTOR inhibitors :
- Everolimus
- Temsirolimus
mTOR is a kinase enzyme inside the cell that regulates cell growth, proliferation, and survival. mTOR inhibitors lead to cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase and also inhibits tumor angiogenesis by reducing synthesis of VEGF.
A Phase II trial of Evorolimus on relapsed DLBCL patients showed a 30% Overall Response Rate (ORR).
Apoptosis is one of the major mechanisms of cell death targeted by cancer therapies. Reduced susceptibility to apoptosis increases the resistance of cancer cells to radiation and cytotoxic agents. B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) family members create a balance between pro and anti-apoptotic proteins. Pro-apoptotic proteins include Bax and Bak. Anti-apoptotic proteins include Bcl-2, Bcl-X, Bcl-w, Mcl-1. When anti-apoptotic family members are overexpressed, apoptotic cell death becomes less likely.
- Oblimersen sodium (G3139, Genasense) targets BCL-2 mRNA
- ABT-737 (oral form navitoclax, ABT-263). A small molecule that targets anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins (Bcl-2, Bcl-X and Bcl-w). ABT-737 binds anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins with an affinity two or three orders of magnitude more potent than previously reported compounds. High basal levels of Mcl-1 expression are associated with resistance to ABT-737. Combining ABT-737 with second agents that inactivate Mcl-1 may reduce this effect. ABT-737 has demonstrated single-agent efficacy against cell lines from lymphoid malignancies known to express high levels of Bcl-2, including DLBCL. It has also been found to be synergistic with proteasome inhibitors.
- Fenretinide. A synthetic retinoid that induces apoptosis of cancer cells and acts synergistically with chemotherapeutic drugs by triggering the activation of 12-Lox (12-lipoxygenase) leading to oxidative stress and apoptosis via the induction of the transcription factor Gadd153 and the Bcl-2-family member protein Bak.
PTLD may spontaneously regress on reduction or cessation of immunosuppressant medication, and can also be treated with addition of anti-viral therapy. In some cases it will progress to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and may be fatal. A phase 2 study of adoptively transferred EBV-specific T cells demonstrated high efficacy with minimal toxicity.
There is currently minimal therapeutic intervention available for BENTA disease. Patients are closely monitored for infections and for signs of monoclonal or oligoclonal B cell expansion that could indicate B cell malignancy. Splenectomy is unlikely to reduce B cell burden; peripheral blood B cell counts rose significantly in three patients who underwent the procedure. It remains to be determined whether immunosuppressive drugs, including B cell-depleting drugs such as rituximab, could be effective for treating BENTA disease.
In terms of treatment for hyper Igm syndrome there is the use of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Additionally anti-microbial therapy, use of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, immunosuppressants, as well as, other treatments may be needed.
Current treatment typically includes R-CHOP, which consists of the traditional CHOP, to which rituximab has been added. This regimen has increased the rate of complete response for DLBCL patients, particularly in elderly patients.R-CHOP is a combination of one monoclonal antibody (rituximab), three chemotherapy agents (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine), and one steroid (prednisone). These drugs are administered intravenously, and the regimen is most effective when it is administered multiple times over a period of months. People often receive this type of chemotherapy through a PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter) in their arm near the elbow or a surgically implanted venous access port. The number of cycles of chemotherapy given depends on the stage of the disease — patients with limited disease typically receive three cycles of chemotherapy, while patients with extensive disease may need to undergo six to eight cycles. A recent approach involves obtaining a PET scan after the completion of two cycles of chemotherapy, to assist the treatment team in making further decisions about the future course of treatment.Older people often have more difficulty tolerating therapy than younger people. Lower intensity regimens have been attempted in this age group.
Plasma cells, also called plasma B cells, plasmocytes, plasmacytes, or effector B cells, are white blood cells that secrete large volumes of antibodies. They are transported by the blood plasma and the lymphatic system. Plasma cells originate in the bone marrow; B cells differentiate into plasma cells that produce antibody molecules closely modelled after the receptors of the precursor B cell. Once released into the blood and lymph, these antibody molecules bind to the target antigen (foreign substance) and initiate its neutralization or destruction.
Radiation therapy is often part of the treatment for DLBCL. It is commonly used after the completion of chemotherapy. Radiation therapy alone is not an effective treatment for this disease.
A lymphocyte is one of the subtypes of white blood cell in a vertebrate's immune system. Lymphocytes include natural killer cells (Phagocytes) (which function in cell-mediated, cytotoxic innate immunity), T cells (for cell-mediated, cytotoxic adaptive immunity), and B cells (for humoral, antibody-driven adaptive immunity). They are the main type of cell found in lymph, which prompted the name "lymphocyte".
Natural killer (NK) cell therapy is used in pediatrics for children with relapsed lymphoid leukemia. These patients normally have a resistance to chemotherapy, therefore, in order to continue on, must receive some kind of therapy. In some cases, NK cell therapy is a choice.
NK cells are known for their ability to eradicate tumor cells without any prior sensitization to them. One problem when using NK cells in order to fight off lymphoid leukemia is the fact that it is hard to amount enough of them to be effective. One can receive donations of NK cells from parents or relatives through bone marrow transplants. There are also the issues of cost, purity and safety. Unfortunately, there is always the possibility of Graft vs host disease while transplanting bone marrow.
NK cell therapy is a possible treatment for many different cancers such as Malignant glioma.
The three major types of lymphocyte are T cells, B cells and natural killer (NK) cells. Lymphocytes can be identified by their large nucleus.
B cells, also known as B lymphocytes, are a type of white blood cell of the lymphocyte subtype. They function in the humoral immunity component of the adaptive immune system by secreting antibodies. Additionally, B cells present antigen (they are also classified as professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs)) and secrete cytokines.
In mammals, B cells mature in the bone marrow, which is at the core of most bones. In birds, B cells mature in the bursa of Fabricius, a lymphoid organ. (The "B" from B cells comes from the name of this organ, where it was first discovered by Chang and Glick, and not from bone marrow as commonly believed).
B cells, unlike the other two classes of lymphocytes, T cells and natural killer cells, express B cell receptors (BCRs) on their cell membrane. BCRs allow the B cell to bind a specific antigen, against which it will initiate an antibody response.
Memory B cells are a B cell sub-type that are formed within germinal centers following primary infection and are important in generating an accelerated and more robust antibody-mediated immune response in the case of re-infection (also known as a "secondary immune response").
Multiagent chemotherapy is recommended, but the preferred regimen is controversial, as is consolidative radiotherapy.
The original route of treatment for MALT is antibiotics to treat an underlying infection such as H.pylori. H.pylori is directly related to the development of this lymphoma. Since most patients respond well to this treatment, then no further treatment is needed. If the lymphoma is not linked to an infection, then radiotherapy and chemotherapy are needed. If the disease is more advanced, then immunoradiotherapy with chemotherapy will be needed. Among the common first-line treatments are bendamustine plus rituximab and R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone). Recently, antibiotic therapy such as doxycycline has been shown to be effective in marginal zone lymphoma that affects the area around the eye ("ocular adnexal marginal zone lymphoma").
Treatment is dependent if the lymphoma is causing issues in regards to the overall health of the individual. Since this a slow moving cancer, many patients start treatment when the symptoms appear. If the individual tests positive for hepatitis C, then anti-viral treatment is suggested since it will often get rid of the lymphoma as well. If further treatment is required the options include chemotherapy, monoclonal antibodies, and/or radiation. Radiation therapy is used for stage I and II nodal marginal zone NHL. Clinical trials show success in treatment when using drugs such as bendamustine and lenalidomida in combination with rituximab.
The most common treatment for XLA is an intravenous infusion of immunoglobulin (IVIg, human IgG antibodies) every 3–4 weeks, for life. IVIg is a human product extracted and pooled from thousands of blood donations. IVIg does not cure XLA but increases the patient's lifespan and quality of life, by generating passive immunity, and boosting the immune system. With treatment, the number and severity of infections is reduced. With IVIg, XLA patients may live a relatively healthy life. A patient should attempt reaching a state where his IgG blood count exceeds 800 mg/kg. The dose is based on the patient's weight and IgG blood-count.
Muscle injections of immunoglobulin (IMIg) were common before IVIg was prevalent, but are less effective and much more painful; hence, IMIg is now uncommon.Subcutaneous treatment (SCIg) was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is recommended in cases of severe adverse reactions to the IVIg treatment.
Antibiotics are another common supplementary treatment. Local antibiotic treatment (drops, lotions) are preferred over systemic treatment (pills) for long-term treatment, if possible.One of the future prospects of XLA treatment is gene therapy, which could potentially cure XLA. Gene therapy technology is still in its infancy and may cause severe complications such as cancer and even death. Moreover, the long-term success and complications of this treatment are, as yet, unknown.
Targeted therapy attacks cancer cells at a specific target, with the aim of not harming normal cells.
- Alemtuzumab is a mAb directed against CD52 used in CLL.
- Rituximab, ofatumumab, and obinutuzumab are antibodies against CD20 used to treat CLL.
- Ibrutinib, a Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, is used to treat CLL.
- Idelalisib is a PI3K inhibitor. and is taken orally.
- Venetoclax is a Bcl-2 inhibitor used to treat people with CLL who have 17p deletion (deletion located on the chromosome 17 short arm) and who have been treated with at least one prior therapy.
ANKL is treated similarly to most B-cell lymphomas. Anthracycline-containing chemotherapy regimens are commonly offered as the initial therapy. Some patients may receive a stem cell transplant.
Most patients will die 2 years after diagnosis.
With each such subsequent exposure to the same antigen, the number of different responding B cell clones increases to generate a polyclonal response and effectively a greater number of memory B cells persist. Thus, a stronger antibody response (i.e. higher titres of more diverse antibody molecules) having improved affinity towards antigen is typically observed in the secondary immune response. It is unclear at what stage such a model reaches saturation to provide an optimal level of antibody-mediated immune protection against the same antigen. However, the fact that all the accumulation of cells of a single clone population express many of the one same type of antibody and that these memory B cells survive for long periods of time in a body underscores their functional significance during vaccination and the administration of booster shots.
Autologous stem cell transplantation, using the recipient's own cells, is not curative. Younger individuals, if at high risk for dying from CLL, may consider allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Myeloablative (bone marrow killing) forms of allogeneic stem cell transplantation, a high-risk treatment using blood cells from a healthy donor, may be curative, but treatment-related toxicity is significant. An intermediate level, called reduced-intensity conditioning allogeneic stem cell transplantation, may be better tolerated by older or frail patients.
After leaving the bone marrow, the B cell acts as an antigen presenting cell (APC) and internalizes offending antigens, which are taken up by the B cell through receptor-mediated endocytosis and processed. Pieces of the antigen (which are now known as "antigenic peptides") are loaded onto MHC II molecules, and presented on its extracellular surface to CD4+ T cells (sometimes called "T helper cells"). These T cells bind to the MHC II-antigen molecule and cause activation of the B cell. This is a type of safeguard to the system, almost like a two-factor authentication method. First, the B cells have to encounter a foreign antigen, and are then required to be activated by T helper cells before they differentiate to specific cells.
Upon stimulation by a T cell, which usually occurs in germinal centers of secondary lymphoid organs like the spleen and lymph nodes, the activated B cell begins to differentiate into more specialized cells. Germinal center B cells may differentiate into memory B cells or plasma cells. Most of these B cells will become plasmablasts (or "immature plasma cells"), and eventually plasma cells, and begin producing large volumes of antibodies. Some B cells will undergo a process known as affinity maturation. This process favors, by selection for the ability to bind antigen with higher affinity, the activation and growth of B cell clones able to secrete antibodies of higher affinity for the antigen.
Combined modality therapy is the most common approach for the initial treatment of thyroid lymphomas. The CHOP regimen (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone) has been shown high effectiveness for many types of thyroid lymphoma. However, it is suggested to perform radiation therapy only for MALT resulting a 96% complete response, with only a 30% relapse rate. Surgical treatment might be performed for patients with thyroid lymphoma in addition to chemotherapy and radiation, particularly for MALT lymphomas.
In general, the first line of treatment for Burkitt’s lymphoma is intensive chemotherapy. A few of these regimens are: the GMALL-B-ALL/NHL2002 protocol, the modified Magrath regimen (R-CODOX-M/IVAC). COPADM, hyper-CVAD, and the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) 8811 regimen; these can be associated with rituximab. In older patients treatment may be dose-adjusted EPOCH with rituximab.
The effects of the chemotherapy, as with all cancers, depend on the time of diagnosis. With faster-growing cancers, such as Burkitt's, the cancer actually responds faster than with slower-growing cancers. This rapid response to chemotherapy can be hazardous to the patient, as a phenomenon called "tumor lysis syndrome" could occur. Close monitoring of the patient and adequate hydration is essential during the process. Since Burkitts lymphoma has high propensity to spread to the central nervous system (lymphomatous meningitis), intrathecal chemotherapy with methotrexate and/or ARA-C and/or prednisolone is given alongside with systemic chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy
- cyclophosphamide
- doxorubicin
- vincristine
- methotrexate
- cytarabine
- ifosfamide
- etoposide
- rituximab
Other treatments for Burkitt's lymphoma include immunotherapy, bone marrow transplants, stem cell transplant, surgery to remove the tumor, and radiotherapy.
The disease is an uncontrolled proliferation of B cell lymphocytes latently infected with Epstein-Barr virus. Production of an interleukin-10, an endogenous, pro-regulatory cytokine, has also been implicated.
In immunocompetent patients, Epstein-Barr virus can cause infectious mononucleosis in adolescents, which is otherwise asymptomatic in children during their childhood. However, in immunosuppressed transplant patients, the lack of T-cell immunosurveillance can lead to the proliferation of these EBV-infected of B-lymphocytes.
However, calcineurin inhibitors (tacrolimus and ciclosporin), used as immunosuppressants in organ transplantation inhibit T cell function, and can prevent the control of the B cell proliferation.
Depletion of T cells by use of anti-T cell antibodies in the prevention or treatment of transplant rejection further increases the risk of developing post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder. Such antibodies include ATG, ALG and OKT3.
Polyclonal PTLD may form tumor masses and present with symptoms due to a mass effect, e.g. symptoms of bowel obstruction. Monoclonal forms of PTLD tend to form a disseminated malignant lymphoma.