Dr. Dunleavy Discusses ABC DLBCL Research

Kieron Dunleavy, MD, a staff clinician with the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD, discusses research into novel treatments for activated B-cell (ABC) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

The standard of care for ABC DLBCL is generally associated with significantly worse outcomes than observed in germinal center B-cell DLBCL. Current research is focused on finding novel agents that target the pathways implicated in the ABC subtype in order to improve the prognosis.

Researchers recently found that chronic active B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling is an important factor in ABC DLBCL. Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (Btk) is a central mediator of BCR signaling. Inhibiting this target prevents malignant B-cells from migrating and induces apoptosis.

The first agent to inhibit Btk, known as PCI-32765, is currently under investigation in order to determine its efficacy.