Dr. Lossos on Research Questions in MCL

Izidore S. Lossos, MD, professor, director, Lymphoma Program Head of hematological malignancies site disease group, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Health System, discusses research questions in the field of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

Many unanswered questions in the field center around patients with high-risk disease—specifically, how to treat patients with blastoid variant MCL, explains Lossos. This is a rare and aggressive variant of MCL with a median survival of 6 to 12 months, and currently, there is no standard of care for these patients.

Another unanswered question is whether transplant is necessary in younger patients. Investigators from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center are leading an ongoing study combining hyper-CVAD with ibrutinib (Imbruvica) to try to improve outcomes without transplant. In elderly patients, identifying the least toxic therapy that will prolong survival is critical. As it stands, the median survival of this disease is 7 years, which leaves room for improvement, adds Lossos. Investigational strategies include the use of cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors, although the data are fairly preliminary.