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Immunotherapy for non Hodgkin’s lymphomas Volume 5, issue 5, Septembre - Octobre 1999

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Immunotherapy consists of a group of treatment modalities whose goal are to correct immune deficiencies and to amplify the antitumor immune systems which are present at the initiation and during the course of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. These treatment modalities are numerous : monoclonal antibodies directed against some lymphoid cell antigens (CD20) or tumor-specific antigens in some B-cell lymphomas (idiotypes) ; biologic response modifiers : interferon alpha, interleukin-2 ; allogenic lymphoid cells from a bone marrow transplantation or from donor lymphocyte transfusions ; autologous lymphoid cells induced to develop an immune reaction against some tumor antigens (vaccination) ; antigen-presenting cells also transfected with genes. All these treatments, which have been developed in the recent years, are detailed in this review. Their respective participation in the treatment of NHLs remains to be assessed.