Dr. Jia Ruan on Mantle Cell Lymphoma Treatment Challenges

Jia Ruan, MD, PhD, an associate professor at Weill Cornell Medical College, talks about initial treatment methods for mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

Because MCL is not common, it is often difficult to determine the best initial treatment, says Ruan. The majority of previous studies have focused on combination chemotherapy treatments, which do not always cure MCL and can often be too toxic for the many MCL patients who are elderly.

A recent phase II study, explored the combination of rituximab and lenalidomide to determine if the regimen was both non-toxic and effective for the treatment of MCL.