Abstract
Greetings and welcome to the final issue of Therapeutic Advances in Hematology for 2011. This issue, like the previous issues, contains a number of high-quality reviews and perspectives in relevant areas of hematology and I thank the authors for their tireless efforts in updating us all in their areas of expertise. The editorial staff and I are grateful for the willingness of colleagues from around the globe who have energized and buoyed each issue with such excellent work. We will continue to provide such works in various areas of hematology and include original research as it is received. We encourage all to consider Therapeutic Advances in Hematology as a portal for novel research and a receptive and forward-thinking journal with regards to topics, timeliness and user-friendly nature of our review process.
In this issue of Therapeutic Advances in Hematology we have two articles dedicated to lymphoid neoplasms. In ‘Molecular biology of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma’, Dr Frick from Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany unravels the common disease of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), demonstrating the ability of microarray technology to divide this entity clearly into three subtypes, germinal-center B-cell-like (GCB) DLBCL, activated B-cell-like (ABC) DLBCL, and primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBL), and the potential to tailor therapy based on unique pathway activation and response to targeted therapies such as inhibitors of PKC, MALT1, PI3K, mTOR, and JAK2. In the second article, ‘Initial therapy of mantle cell lymphoma’ from Dr Inwards of the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, advances in the approach to treating mantle cell lymphoma are described, with the author particularly highlighting the potential role of aggressive chemotherapy and stem cell transplant, the role of splenectomy, and lower intensity and maintenance therapy approaches.
We also have included two articles dedicated to stem-cell transplantation (SCT) and in particular managing the post-transplant scenarios of donor lymphocyte infusion and post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD). ‘Cellular therapy following allogeneic stem-cell transplantation’ from Dr Rager of the University of Pennsylvania turns to the important area of adoptive immunotherapy utilizing donor lymphocyte therapy and offers a comprehensive review of the role of cellular therapy post-SCT in each of the hematologic malignancies, the timing and toxicity associated with said therapy, strategies deployed to reduce toxicity including modulation of dose, cell selection and inclusion of inducible ‘suicide genes’, and novel approaches to maximize graft-versus-leukemia and minimize graft-versus-host disease. ‘Therapeutic options in post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders’ from Dr Zimmermann of the University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany sheds light on a post-transplant dilemma, namely PTLD, and provides a comprehensive review of PTLD pathology and link to immune suppression and Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), chemotherapy-based treatment trials utilizing rituximab and other strategies such as antiviral and cytokine directed/immunomodulatory therapy.
Perhaps in a category of its own is ‘Ikaros: master of hematopoiesis, agent of leukemia’ from Dr Davis of Stanford University, California. This article elucidates the critical role of Ikaros, a zinc finger protein, as a transcription factor relevant to the development of all blood lineages in a cell-specific context and in both a repressor and activator role. Given its centrality and the impact of loss of function, further understanding of its regulation should herald advances in knowledge of both hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis.
Enjoy, as I have and I am sure you will, this final issue of 2011 and I look forward to a fruitful and rich Therapeutic Advances in Hematology for 2012!