Dr. Brody on the Potential Role for Bispecific Antibodies in MCL

Joshua Brody, MD, director, Lymphoma program, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, discusses the potential role for bispecific antibodies in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

Bispecific antibodies have emerged as a promising treatment modality for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma, Brody says. However, little data have demonstrated the utility of bispecific antibodies in MCL. Despite this, it is likely that efficacy and safety data from the DLBCL and follicular lymphoma experiences can be extrapolated to the MCL space, explains Brody.

MCL is more sensitive to CD20-directed therapy, such as rituximab (Rituxan), compared with other non-Hodgkin lymphoma subtypes, Brody says. In MCL, maintenance rituximab has demonstrated an overall survival benefit, and even rituximab monotherapy can elicit good responses. As such, it is highly likely that bispecific antibodies will be effective in MCL, Brody says.

Moreover, the agents are currently being evaluated in combination regimens for patients who progress on standard frontline therapies, such as R-CHOP, bendamustine/rituximab, and rituximab/lenalidomide (Revlimid), concludes Brody.