Prophylactic use of filgrastim with ABVD and BEACOPP chemotherapy regimens for Hodgkin lymphoma.

ABVD (doxorubicin/bleomycin/vinblastine/dacarbazine) and BEACOPP (bleomycin/etoposide/doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide/vincristine/procarbazine/prednisone) are the most widely used regimens for the treatment of patients with advanced stage Hodgkin lymphoma. Both regimens are associated with significant neutropenia. Maintaining the planned dose intensity is considered an important goal to achieve when using curative therapy.

Targeting lymphoma cells and their microenvironment with novel antibodies.

Novel monoclonal antibodies are currently being evaluated and have been shown to have significantly influenced the treatment of Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It is of the utmost importance to reduce treatment-related toxicity and, hopefully, improve the cure rate of lymphoma. This is possible by using novel therapies such as monoclonal antibodies, which target tumor cells while sparing normal cells.

Hodgkin's lymphoma: molecular targets and novel treatment strategies.

The WHO classification of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) distinguishes between two major subtypes, classical and nodular lymphocyte predominant HL. Approximately 95% of patients with HL will have the classical HL histology, which is characterized by the presence of rare malignant Hodgkin's and Reed-Sternberg cells among an overwhelming number of benign reactive cells. In recent years, new studies have shed more light on the biological and molecular features of Hodgkin's and Reed-Sternberg cells, providing hope that new targeted therapy may be developed to enhance the cure rate and to reduce treatment-related toxicity.

The lymphomas: molecular pathways and novel therapeutic targets.

In recent years, several molecular mechanisms involved in promoting cancer cell survival and growth have been identified. These discoveries helped in designing and testing novel drugs that target specific cellular pathways. In this review, we focus on new molecular targets that are currently being explored for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Hodgkin's lymphoma.