Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hematopathology
Online ISSN : 1880-9952
Print ISSN : 1346-4280
ISSN-L : 1346-4280
Follicular Lymphoma: The Role of the Tumor Microenvironment in Prognosis
Takumi SugimotoTakashi Watanabe
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JOURNAL FREE ACCESS

2016 Volume 56 Issue 1 Pages 1-19

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Abstract

The microenvironment of follicular lymphoma (FL) is composed of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells, follicular regulatory T cells, lymphoma-associated macrophages and mast cells, follicular helper T cells, follicular dendritic cells, and follicular reticular cells, all of which have been reported to have relevance in the prognosis of FL patients. In addition, some of these cells play a role in the histologic transformation of FL. Macrophages contribute to a poor prognosis in FL patients treated in the pre-rituximab era, but are associated with good prognosis in those treated in the rituximab era. T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain protein (TIM) 3 are markers of T-cell exhaustion, and T cells co-expressing programed death 1 (PD1) in peripheral blood and lymph nodes secrete interleukin (IL)-12 in the serum. Serum CXCL9, IL-2 receptor, and IL-1 receptor agonist are associated with shorter survival of FL patients. Agents for manipulation of the microenvironment surrounding FL cells include the immunomodulatory drug lenalidomide, immune check-point inhibitors, and cyclophosphamide prior to rituximab. To battle FL and to improve the outcomes of FL patients, understanding the relationship between neoplastic cells and the various microenvironmental cellular components is crucial for developing therapeutics against the microenvironment.

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© 2016 by The Japanese Society for Lymphoreticular Tissue Research
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