Dr. Goy on Combinations With Novel Agents in Relapsed/Refractory MCL

Andre Goy, MD, MS, chief, Division of Lymphoma, chairman and director, John Theurer Cancer Center, discusses the utility of combinations with novel agents in the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

The addition of ibrutinib (Imbruvica) to rituximab (Rituxan) and lenalidomide (Revlimid), or venetoclax (Venclexta) alone has demonstrated high complete response rates in patients with relapsed/refractory MCL, says Goy.

Moving these therapies into the frontline setting may be beneficial for patients who are eligible for intensive therapy, says Goy. For example, the addition of a BTK inhibitor such as ibrutinib or acalabrutinib (Calquence) to the combination of bendamustine and rituximab may provide more durable responses in the frontline setting.

Additionally, chemotherapy-free regimens may be particularly important for elderly patients who are not eligible for chemotherapy, explains Goy. Patients who are not eligible for intensive therapy may not derive a significant benefit from standard cytotoxic induction therapy. As such, ongoing clinical trials are investigating doublet and triplet regimens in the frontline setting, concludes Goy.