Dr. Balzarotti on Questions With Consolidation and Maintenance Therapy in R/R DLBCL

Monica Balzarotti, MD, hematologist, Department of Hematology, Institute for Research, Hospitalization, and Health Care (IRCCS) Humanitas Research Hospital, Milan, Italy, discusses remaining questions regarding consolidation and maintenance therapy in relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Often, younger patients with DLBCL receive consolidation therapy with high-dose chemotherapy in the frontline setting followed by maintenance therapy, explains Balzarotti.

Whether consolidation and maintenance therapy are options for patients in the relapsed/refractory setting is not well defined, Balzarotti says.

Typically, patients with DLBCL are not candidates for maintenance therapy because the disease is not associated with molecular markers, such as BCL-2, Balzarotti says.

However, circulating tumor DNA testing may identify novel actionable markers in DLBCL that could allow for the introduction of maintenance therapy in the relapsed/refractory space, concludes Balzarotti.