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.