Dr. Goodman on Contributing Factors to the Lack of Development in PTCL Treatment

Aaron Goodman, MD, hematologist/oncologist and assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego, discusses factors that have contributed to the lack of treatment development in peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL).

PTCL is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and makes up approximately 10% to 20% of the overall NHL patient population, says Goodman.

PTCL is a heterogenous disease with multiple subtypes, explains Goodman. Moreover, each subtype appears to respond differently to the available treatment options.

Prior to CD30, no actionable targets had been identified in PTCL, says Goodman. Conversely, B-cell malignancies, for example, have multiple potential targets, such as CD20 and the PI3K pathways.