Exosomes and Immunotherapy in Non-Hodgkin B-cell Lymphomas

Diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) are highly aggressive and heterogeneous B-cell lymphoma that would imminently be fatal without treatment. Monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody, rituximab, in combination of CHOP chemotherapy (R-CHOP) is widely used with favourable results. Although more than half of patients achieve long-term remission, many are not cured with this immunotherapy. Suboptimal response and/or resistance to rituximab have remained a challenge in the therapy of DLBCL but also of all B-NHL. Exosomes are microvesicles released from tumor B cells that are found in plasma of patients with B-NHL. Exosomes carry therapeutic targets (as CD20, PDL-1) and could act as "decoy-receptors" for immunotherapy. Our objective is to precise, in aggressive B-NHL, the role of exosomes in immunotherapy escape.