B-cell malignancies, such as the B-cell subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, are significant contributors to cancer mortality. The response of B-cell malignancies to various forms of treatment is mixed. Traditional methods of treating B-cell malignancies, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy, have limited utility due to toxic side effects. Immunotherapy with anti-CD20 antibodies have also provided limited success. The use of antibodies that bind with the CD22 or CD19 antigen, however, provides an effective means to treat B-cell malignancies such as indolent and aggressive forms of B-cell lymphomas, and acute and chronic forms of lymphatic leukemias. Moreover, immunotherapy with anti-CD22 and/or anti-CD19 antibodies requires comparatively low doses of antibody protein, and can be used effectively in multimodal therapies.
