Tumor Microenvironment of Lymphomas and Plasma Cell Neoplasms: Broad Overview and Impact on Evaluation for Immune Based Therapies

Lymphomas and plasma cell neoplasms are a heterogenous group of malignancies derived from lymphocytes. They are a significant cause of patient morbidity and mortality. Advances in morphologic, immunophenotypic and molecular techniques have led to better understanding of the pathogenesis and diagnosis of these neoplasms. Advances in treatment, particularly immune-based therapies, increasingly allow for targeted therapies of these diseases. Mechanistic studies using animal models and clinical trials have revealed the importance of the tumor microenvironment on disease pathogenesis, progression, and response to therapy in these malignancies. Simultaneous progress in diagnostic techniques has made it feasible to generate high-resolution, high-throughput data from the tumor microenvironment with spatial context. As the armamentarium of targeted therapies and diagnostic techniques grows, there is potential to harness these advances to better stratify patients for targeted therapies, including immune-based therapies, in hematologic malignancies.