Dr. Visco on the Utility of Bendamustine in MCL

Carlo Visco, MD, associate professor, Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy, discusses the utility of bendamustine-based regimens in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

The BTK inhibitor ibrutinib (Imbruvica) has established a role as standard treatment for patients with MCL who have received at least 1 prior line of therapy, explains Visco.

However, in some cases, patients may not be eligible to receive ibrutinib, Visco says. In these instances, chemotherapy-based regimens are often utilized.

Bendamustine-based regimens, such as bendamustine plus rituximab (Rituxan; BR) or BR plus cytarabine (R-BAC), should be considered standard for these patients, says Visco.

Moreover, bendamustine-based therapies have demonstrated significantly superior rates of progression-free survival and overall survival compared with other chemotherapy regimens, concludes Visco.