Challenges in the Treatment of Patients With MCL

Selina Chen-Kiang, PhD, professor of pathology and immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, discusses challenges in the treatment of patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

There are foreseeable hurdles in the field, explains Chen-Kiang. Through past research, physicians know what is happening in tumor cells. Physicians know that they have to address a patient’s tumor and corresponding microenvironment, particularly the immune cells, because checkpoint action is very important for all cancers. The other aspect is understanding how to target tumor cells and spare normal cells. A patient’s metabolism is going to play an essential role, says Chen-Kiang.

Treatment progression is another important aspect of furthering treatment, says Chen-Kiang. By longitudinal sequencing, physicians know the difference during relapse versus the time that the patient is responding. Physicians have access to those tools and are designing salvage therapies for these patients.

However, some of these questions cannot be addressed in the immune-deficient mouse models, says Chen-Kiang. Nonetheless, she is confident that research will continue to push the field forward.