One arrow for two targets: potential co-treatment regimens for lymphoma and HIV

In 2007, an HIV-infected individual (Berlin patient) underwent two allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantations (allo-HSCTs) from a donor with a homozygous mutation in the HIV co-receptor CCR5 (CCR5Δ32) for the treatment of acute myeloid leukaemia, which eradicated HIV from infected patients simultaneously. Ten years later, another success in the 'London patient' was reported. These two cases suggest that allo-HSCT from a suitable donor is feasible for the treatment of haematological malignancies and HIV. Moreover, other novel approaches for anti-lymphoma have effectively suppressed HIV replication, including chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) immunotherapy, PD-1/Programmed death-ligand-1 (PD-L1) blockade, and therapies based on mechanisms that target the critical molecular pathways of tumour. This review discusses these approaches for both lymphoma and anti-HIV therapy.