Monoclonal antibodies (Ab) have revolutionized the management of
lymphomas, the most common
hematologic malignancy in adults. Indeed, incorporation of
rituximab into the regimen for indolent non-Hodgkin's
lymphomas (NHLs) has dramatically improved treatment response and disease outcome. Yet, newer Ab
therapeutics against promising
antigen targets need to be developed to treat refractory or relapsed patients. Treatment efficacy can be further enhanced by conjugating toxic molecules to the Abs.
Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) harnesses Abs as vehicles for targeted delivery of therapeutic
radionuclide payloads for direct killing of targeted
tumor cells. Positron emission tomography (PET) with radiolabeled Abs (called immuno-PET) can facilitate the development of new Ab
therapeutics and RIT by providing pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic information and by quantifying
tumor antigen level relevant for treatment decision. Immuno-PET has recently gravitated toward labeling Abs with 89Zr, a radiometal with a 3.3 day half-life that is trapped following Ab internalization and thus provides high-resolution PET images with excellent contrast. Immuno-PET methods against major
lymphoma antigens including CD20 and other promising targets are currently under development. With continued improvements, immuno-PET has the potential to be used in
lymphoma management as an imaging
biomarker for patient selection and assessment of treatment response.