Dr. Zelenetz Discusses DLBCL Targeted Therapies

Andrew D. Zelenetz, MD, Chief, Lymphoma Service, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Associate Professor of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, explains that when choosing a treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) it is important to recognize that 3 subtypes have been identified.

When examining the genome of each type of DLBCL a large amount of variability can be seen between the germinal center, activated, and mediastinal B-cell types. Zelenetz believes further benefit in this disease will not come from adding more cytotoxic chemotherapies but from therapeutics that target individual abnormalities.

Inhibiting Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (Btk) has shown potential activity in activated DLBCL, but the benefit is undone if a downstream mutation in CARD11 or MYD88 is present. These aberrations must be taken into account and future targeted therapies must be selected based on each individual tumor.