How I treat HIV-associated lymphoma

Abstract

Over the past 10 years, significant progress has been made in understanding HIV-associated lymphomas and improving the prognosis of these diseases. With the advent of combination antiretroviral therapy and the development of novel therapeutic strategies, most patients with HIV-associated lymphomas are cured. The outcome for the majority of patients with HIV-associated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma in particular, is excellent, with recent studies supporting the role of rituximab in these diseases. Indeed, in the combination anti-retroviral therapy era, the curability of many patients with HIV-associated lymphoma is similar to their HIV-negative counterparts. New treatment frontiers need to focus on improving the outcome for patients with advanced immune suppression and for those with adverse tumor biology, such as the activated B-cell type of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and the virally driven lymphomas. Future clinical trials need to investigate novel targeted agents alone and in combination with chemotherapy. © 2012 by The American Society of Hematology.