Optimizing checkpoint inhibitors therapy for relapsed or progressive classic Hodgkin lymphoma by multiplex immunohistochemistry of the tumor microenvironment

Immune checkpoint-blocking antibodies have therapeutic activity against relapsed or progressive classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), but Hodgkin Reed-Sternberg cells can develop resistance to this therapy via multiple mechanisms. To improve the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade, we need a more precise understanding of the immune escape mechanisms active in individual cHL patients, and this requires a detailed characterization of immune cell populations in the tumor microenvironment. These cell-cell interactions can now be studied by multiplex immunohistochemistry coupled to digital image analysis. This method should allow the identification of actionable target molecules mediating resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors in individual cHL patients, thereby favoring the implementation of personalized therapies.