Jay Yang, MD, oncologist, Malignant Hematology, the Karmanos Cancer Institute, discusses the current treatment landscape of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

Compared with other types of lymphoma, MCL is unique in the sense that it does not have a true standard of care, Yang says. This is partially due to the heterogeneity of MCL, since the presentation of the disease, its prognosis, and therapies can all vary, leading to a range of long-term outcomes, Yang explains.

Although some patients with MCL have such indolent disease that they can be observed initially without any therapy, most patients with MCL will need treatment, Yang concludes.

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Jay Yang, MD, discusses the current treatment landscape of mantle cell lymphoma.


Dr. Yang on the Current Treatment Landscape in MCL

Jay Yang, MD, oncologist, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, discusses the future of acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

There are a few drugs that may be nearing regulatory approval, notes Yang, one of which is venetoclax (Venclexta). The BCL-2 inhibitor has shown some activity in relapsed/refractory AML as a single-agent, though it has shown the most promise in newly diagnosed, treatment-naive patients, says Yang. The combination of venetoclax with either low-dose cytarabine or hypomethylating agents has been very impressive and may be one of the biggest developments in the past year.

The other drug that may reach the clinic is quizartinib. Quizartinib is a second generation FLT3 inhibitor that is much more potent against 

-mutated AML. In the relapsed/refractory setting, there are now data that have recently been presented showing that it is better than standard of care chemotherapy. Statistically speaking, it showed an improvement in overall survival, though Yang says some would say the results are a little bit modest. For this reason, it may be approved.

Jay Yang, MD

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Dr. Yang on the Current Treatment Landscape in MCL

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