Microenvironment-Related Biomarkers and Novel Targets in Classical Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Abstract

Classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma accounts for approximately 10% of all malignant lymphomas. Although most patients can be cured with modern treatment strategies, approximately 25% of them experience either primary or secondary chemorefractoriness or disease relapse, thus requiring novel treatments. Increasing preclinical and clinical evidences have demonstrated the role of microenvironment in the molecular pathogenesis of classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma and elucidated the complex cross-talk between the malignant Hodgkin Reed–Sternberg cells and the nonmalignant, reactive cells of the microenvironment, strongly supporting novel therapeutic approaches aimed at targeting Hodgkin’s Reed–Sternberg cells along with reactive cells in order to overcome chemorefractoriness. In the near future, these novel therapies will also be tested in chemosensitive patients to reduce long-term toxicities of chemo-radiotherapy.

Keywords::

• brentuximab vedotin
• CD30
• classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Hodgkin Reed–Sternberg cells
• nivolumab
• PD-1 ligands
• PD-1 receptor
• relapsed/refractory Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• targeted therapy
• tumor microenvironment

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported in part by funding from the Ministry of Health (RF #2010-2313979) and the Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC; grant #15835). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by funding from the Ministry of Health (RF #2010-2313979) and the Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC; grant #15835). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.