Advances in the understanding and management of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) is a distinct peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) entity with peculiar clinical and pathological features. The recent identification of follicular helper T (T(FH)) cell as the cell of origin of this neoplasm represents a major step in our understanding of the pathobiological characteristics of the disease and should, in the future, clarify the diagnostic criteria for AITL and help to delineate its spectrum, especially from PTCL, not otherwise specified (PTCL, NOS). Deciphering the pathogenesis of the disease is needed to identify targets for new therapies that are expected to improve the poor outcome of AITL patients, when treated with conventional chemotherapy regimens. In this respect, efforts will be needed to evaluate promising innovative therapies in prospective clinical trials.