Dr. Ruan on Classifying T-cell Lymphomas

Jia Ruan, MD, PhD, associate professor of Clinical Medicine, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Weill Cornell Medicine/NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, discusses the classification of T-cell lymphomas.

T-cell lymphoma is a very rare subtype; approximately 5% to 10% of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma have this disease, Ruan explains. It is also very heterogenous and difficult to treat. The long-term outcomes for patients with T-cell lymphoma remain to be suboptimal. Studies show that there is a 20% to 30% 5-year overall survival rate, so there is room for improvement, she adds.

Ongoing clinical trials in this area are focused on intensifying chemotherapy regimens or incorporating novel agents to improve effectiveness and induce complete remissions.