Narendranath Epperla, MD, MS, a hematologist specializing in the treatment of Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center—James, discusses the implications of a potential FDA approval for the combination of ublituximab (TGTX-1101) and umbralisib (Ukoniq) for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

The approval of this combination would be important, as it would add to the growing armamentarium of agents for the treatment of CLL, according to Epperla. As CLL is an indolent disease, and patients will eventually relapse, having another therapy will be a helpful development, he explains. Having ublituximab and umbralisibavailable in clinical practice for the treatment of patients with CLL will be an exciting prospect, Epperla concludes.

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Narendranath Epperla, MD, MS, discusses the implications of a potential FDA approval for the combination of ublituximab and umbralisib for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Dr. Epperla on the Implications of an FDA Approval for Ublituximab/Umbralisib in CLL

Narendranath Epperla, MD, MS, a hematologist specializing in the treatment of Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center—James, discusses future research efforts in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

Tremendous progress has been made in terms of conducting research in the MCL space, Epperla says. Several ongoing clinical trials are currently examining the use of chemotherapy-free or targeted frontline regimens to achieve improved or similar benefit to cytotoxic chemotherapy, he says.

Another area of importance is the question of whether patients with MCL require autologous stem cell transplant as consolidation therapy. While this has been an active area of debate, the ongoing phase 3 ECOG-ACRIN (4151; NCT03267433) will help answer this question. The first read out of the study should take place within the next few years, Epperla concludes.

Narendranath Epperla, MD, MS, discusses future research efforts in mantle cell lymphoma.

Dr. Epperla on Future Research Efforts in MCL

Narendranath Epperla, MBBS, MS, hematologist, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the FDA approval of frontline obinutuzumab (Gazyva) for the treatment of patients with follicular lymphoma.

Dr. Epperla on FDA Approval of Frontline Obinutuzumab in Follicular Lymphoma

Narendranath Epperla, MBBS, MS, hematologist, The Ohio State University (OSU) Comprehensive Cancer Center, assistant professor in internal medicine, OSU, discusses chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

There is not currently enough data for CAR T-cell therapy in MCL, explains Epperla. Based on the impressive data in the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma setting, it would not be surprising if CAR T-cell therapy showed impressive results in MCL. Using CAR T-cell therapy pre- or post-allogeneic stem cell transplant still needs to be determined.

Dr. Epperla on CAR T-Cell Therapy in MCL

Narendranath Epperla, MBBS, MS, hematologist, The Ohio State University (OSU) Comprehensive Cancer Center, assistant professor in internal medicine, OSU, discusses the next steps for patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) who fail ibrutinib (Imbruvica).

Patients who fail ibrutinib have poor results, with the median survival being a few months. As of today, there is no breakthrough treatment for patients who fail ibrutinib, which is an urgent unmet need, states Epperla.

There are ongoing combination trials investigating ibrutinib with CDK4/6 inhibitors to determine if that can overcome resistance, explains Epperla.

Dr. Epperla on Treatment Following Ibrutinib in MCL

Narendranath Epperla, MBBS, MS, hematologist, The Ohio State University (OSU) Comprehensive Cancer Center, assistant professor in internal medicine, OSU, discusses the current treatment landscape of patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

Upfront treatment for MCL continues to be induction therapy followed by autologous stem cell transplant, says Epperla. This is based on the long term follow-up data from the NORDIC trial.

In the relapsed/refractory setting, there are many agents to choose from—BTK inhibitors, PI3-kinase inhibitors, and immunomodulatory agents. Epperla says these agents can be used in various combinations.

Narendranath Epperla, MBBS, MS, hematologist, The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, assistant professor in internal medicine, OSU, discusses the current treatment landscape of patients with mantle cell lymphoma.

Narendranath Epperla, MBBS, MS

Articles

Dr. Epperla on the Implications of an FDA Approval for Ublituximab/Umbralisib in CLL

Dr. Epperla on Future Research Efforts in MCL

Dr. Epperla on FDA Approval of Frontline Obinutuzumab in Follicular Lymphoma

Dr. Epperla on CAR T-Cell Therapy in MCL

Dr. Epperla on Treatment Following Ibrutinib in MCL

Dr. Epperla Discusses the Current Treatment of MCL