Novel targeted therapeutic agents for the treatment of childhood, adolescent and young adult non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Abstract

Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs) are a heterogeneous group of malignancies. Most NHLs in children, adolescent and young adult patients are aggressive lymphomas that are generally treated with multi-agent chemotherapy or immunochemotherapy regimens. While overall survival is high, the treatment can lead to a high rate of acute and long-term toxicity. However, in the rarer instance of relapsed or refractory disease, outcomes are dismal. Novel therapeutic approaches to the treatment of both T-cell and B-cell NHLs are critical to improve outcomes while also minimising the associated toxicity of current treatment regimes. Potential therapeutic approaches in development include humoral and cellular immunotherapies, small molecule inhibitors of relevant signalling pathways and epigenetic modifying agents. In this review, we will highlight the current state of development of agents of interest with a focus on agents relevant to childhood, adolescent and young adult NHL.