Dr. Villa on the Use of BR as Induction Therapy in MCL

Diego Villa, MD, MPH, clinical associate professor, Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, discusses the use of bendamustine and rituximab (Rituxan) as induction therapy in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

Results from a retrospective analysis conducted at The University of British Columbia showed that BR is a reasonable frontline therapy for patients with MCL, irrespective of transplant eligibility. However, the results need to be further evaluated in a randomized prospective study, says Villa.

To that end, the phase II ECOG-ACRIN 4181 trial is evaluating BR as a backbone and testing the addition of cytarabine and/or acalabrutinib (Calquence) to the chemotherapy backbone, concludes Villa.