Unmet Needs Remain in the Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Treatment Paradigm

Grzegorz S. Nowakowski, MD, associate professor of medicine and oncology, as well as a consultant in the Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine with Mayo Clinic, discusses the remaining unmet needs that exist in the treatment landscape of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).
What we see in DLBCL is a dichotomy of outcomes, says Nowakowski. About 60% of patients will be cured with the standard-of-care of rituximab (Rituxan) plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin hydrochloride, vincristine sulfate, and prednisone (R-CHOP), but that means 40% of patients will still relapse. Relapse typically occurs soon after induction therapy, within 2 years. There is a major unmet need for new treatments in the frontline setting that could improve outcomes and build upon the R-CHOP backbone.
Another unmet need in the field is for improved treatments in the relapsed/refractory setting of DLBCL. There has been a lot of progress in this space with several recent approvals, but the majority will still succumb to the disease, Nowakowski concludes.
For more resources and information regarding anticancer targeted therapies in DLBCL: targetedonc.com/clinical/DLBCL