Dr. McKinney Discusses the Watch-and-Wait Approach in MCL

Matthew S. McKinney, MD, assistant professor of medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, co-director of the Molecular Tumor Board, Duke Cancer Institute, discusses the watch-and-wait approach in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

About 10% to 15% of patients with newly diagnosed MCL are appropriate for active surveillance, McKinney says. First, a physician should check for symptoms that indicate a need for immediate treatment. Identifying molecular markers in a patient is also crucial, as p53 mutations and blastoid variant histology represent an aggressive biology.

Beyond that, McKinney adds, physicians should rely on clinical judgement based on pathologic markers like SOX11. Data show that patients do well with the watch-and-wait approach if they have indolent disease. Effectively utilizing this strategy can save the patient months or even years from potentially toxic treatment, says McKinney.