Dr. Cohen Discusses Combination Therapy in MCL

Jonathon B. Cohen, MD, assistant professor, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, discusses combination therapy for patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

There is a lot of interest in incorporating novel treatments into the management of patients with MCL, Cohen says. This includes the possibility of eliminating chemotherapy in the frontline setting. There are mature data suggesting that rituximab (Rituxan) plus lenalidomide (Revlimid) will induce a prolonged remission in patients with MCL. Although patients may have to stay on this combination for a long period of time, Cohen says that the toxicities seem tolerable.

Cohen says that combinations with novel agents are likely going to be the future of MCL treatment. While cytarabine is felt to be an important part of the chemotherapy backbone, it does not work for all patients. For example, patients with TP53 mutations do not respond well to cytarabine-based intensive therapy. For those patients, Cohen says that novel combinations are under investigation.