Although current immunochemotherapy has increased the therapeutic efficacy in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), there are still some patients who present unfavorable outcomes. Novel effective treatment strategies are needed to improve the prognosis of DLBCL. In this review, we discussed the functional mechanisms and therapeutic applications of histone deacetylases inhibitors (HDIs) in DLBCL from preclinical and clinical studies. The mechanistic rationale of HDIs involved a wide range of effects including the regulation of transcription factors, tumor suppressors, and cell surface molecules. Histone deacetylases inhibitors as monotherapy performed limited activity in the treatment of DLBCL in present clinical trials, but its combination with other regimens has emerged as potential treatment candidates with generally acceptable and manageable adverse effects. Further investigation on the anti-tumor mechanisms of HDIs and ongoing clinical trials will hopefully facilitate the application of HDIs in patients with DLBCL.
Keywords: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; cancer therapy; epigenetics; histone deacetylase inhibitor.