LYMPHOMAS

After a median of 19 months of follow-up, durable objective response rates were sustained with tisagenlecleucel in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. These updated findings from the phase II JULIET study were presented at the 2018 ASH Annual Meeting. 

Two variants of the chemotherapy regimen R-CHOP resulted in comparable overall survival and progression-free survival in patients with previously untreated stage III or IV indolent B-cell lymphoma, including grades 1 to 3 follicular lymphoma, according to a long-term follow-up analysis from a combined phase II/III randomized trial.

The immunomodulating agent lenalidomide induced a complete response in 74% of patients with high tumor burden follicular lymphoma when used in combination with rituximab and a 4-drug chemotherapy regimen, according to a recent study.

Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia in a Newly Diagnosed Patient

Relapsed/Refractory Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia

The FDA has granted approval to the rituximab (Rituxan) biosimilar, CT-P10 (Truxima; rituximab-abbs), for the treatment of adult patients with CD20-positive, B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) as a single agent or in combination with chemotherapy, making it the first biosimilar approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with NHL.

In an interview with <em>Targeted Oncology</em>, Charalambos Andreadis, MD, MSCE, discussed the use of CAR T-cell therapy in patients with DLBCL, as well as the toxicities associated with each product. He also highlights other promising therapies in the treatment landscape.

Andre Goy, MD, chairman and director, chief of lymphoma, and director of clinical and translational cancer research at John Theurer Cancer Center, discusses data from the RELEVANCE trial, which randomized patients with follicular lymphoma in need of therapy to receive either rituximab plus lenalidomide or a physician&rsquo;s choice of bendamustine and rituximab plus CHOP or R-CHOP.

Peter Borchmann, MD, discusses the safety signals seen so far in the phase II JULIET trial investigating tisagenlecleucel, a chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, as a treatment option for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy has generated new excitment in select hematologic malignancies. Despite recent advances, more research is necessary in order to both move these treatments to earlier settings and drive costs down, Brian Till, MD, noted.

Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, discusses the importance of conducting genetic testing on all patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma to better understand their disease and treat the disease properly.

During a presentation at the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 13th Annual Conference: Hematologic Malignancies Phillippe Armand, MD, PhD, discusses how novel agents could be used in the future either to postpone, permit, or even replace allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

A greater understanding of molecular pathogenesis in non-Hodgkin lymphoma has led to the identification of rational targets for novel small molecule inhibitors, according to Andrew D. Zelenetz, MD, PhD.&nbsp;Combinations of these therapies may also provide greater responses and the potential for therapy&nbsp;discontinuation.