Applying near-infrared photoimmunotherapy to B-cell lymphoma: comparative evaluation with radioimmunotherapy in tumor xenografts

OBJECTIVE: Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) has proven effective for patients with relapsed and refractory lymphoma. However, new types of therapy are strongly desired as B-cell lymphoma remains incurable for many patients. Photoimmunotherapy (PIT) is an emerging targeted cancer therapy that uses photosensitizer (IR700)-conjugated monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to specifically kill cancer cells. To evaluate the usefulness and potential role of PIT for treating B-cell lymphoma in a comparison with RIT, we performed in vivo PIT and RIT studies with an IR700 or (90)Y-conjugated anti-CD20 mAb, NuB2. METHODS: IR700 or (90)Y were conjugated to NuB2. Since cell aggressiveness greatly affects the therapeutic effect, we selected both an indolent (RPMI 1788) and an aggressive (Ramos) type of B-cell lymphoma cell line. The in vitro therapeutic effect of PIT and the biodistribution profiles of IR700–NuB2 were evaluated. In vivo PIT and RIT studies were performed with 100 or 500 μg of IR700–NuB2 and 150 μCi/20 μg of (90)Y-NuB2, respectively, in two types of B-cell lymphoma-bearing mice. RESULTS: The in vitro studies revealed that Ramos was more sensitive than RPMI 1788 to PIT. The therapeutic effect of PIT with 500 µg IR700–NuB2 was superior to any other therapies against aggressive Ramos tumors, whereas RIT showed the highest therapeutic effect in indolent RPMI 1788 tumors. Since the uptake levels and intratumoral distribution of IR700–NuB2 were comparable in both tumors, a possible cause of this difference is the tumor growth rate. The PIT with 500 µg (IR700–NuB2) group showed a significantly greater therapeutic effect than the PIT with 100 µg group due to the higher and more homogeneous tumor distribution of IR700–NuB2. CONCLUSIONS: PIT was effective for both indolent and aggressive B-cell lymphoma, and the higher dose provided a better therapeutic effect. In aggressive tumors, PIT was more effective than RIT. Thus, PIT would be a promising strategy for the locoregional treatment or control of B-cell lymphoma. Since PIT and RIT have distinctive advantages over each other, they could play complementary rather than competitive roles in B-cell lymphoma treatment.