Lymphoma Hub

During the 64th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, the Lymphoma Hub spoke to Gilles Salles, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, US. We asked for an update on the SYMPHONY 1 trial (NCT04224493).  First, Salles explains the rationale for using tazemetostat, an oral EZH2 inhibitor, with lenalidomide and rituximab in the phase Ib SYMPHONY 1 trial for patients with relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma. This is followed by an overview of the study design and a review of the adverse effects and response rates. The results of this study have prompted the combination to be further investigated in a phase III trial. 

During the 64th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, the Lymphoma Hub spoke to Pere Barba, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, ES. We asked, What are the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies on the horizon for lymphoma?Barba summarizes the progress made in the development of second generation CD19 CAR T-cell therapies, dual CAR T-cell therapies, allogeneic CAR T-cell platforms, alternatives to CD19 CAR T-cell therapies, and combining checkpoint inhibitors with conventional CAR T-cell therapies. 

The Lymphoma Hub was pleased to speak with Francesc Bosch, Vall d’Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus, Barcelona, ES. We asked, How do you choose among different BTK inhibitors for treating CLL?Bosch opens by outlining common BTK inhibitors such as ibrutinib, acalabrutinib, and zanubrutinib, noting that comparable efficacy and activity rates can cause difficulty when determining the most appropriate treatment; however, safety profiles vary. Bosch goes on to suggest that other factors, such as patient comorbidities, may be more useful; for example, the varying cardiovascular toxicity of BTK inhibitors may be pertinent when treating patients with comorbid cardiovascular conditions.

The Lymphoma Hub was pleased to speak with Astrid Pavlovsky, FUNDALEU, Buenos Aires, AR. We asked, What are the latest advances in basal PET/CT for Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma?Pavlovsky outlines the progress made in the use of interim positron emission tomography (PET) to guide therapeutic decisions in the last decade, but also notes its limitations, before discussing the latest improvements in basal imaging methods. Pavlovsky goes on to emphasize the prognostic importance of baseline metabolic tumor volume by PET/computerized tomography, especially when combined with interim PET and other parameters such as the International Prognostic Score.

As part of our biannual steering committee meeting, Gilles Salles, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA, chaired a discussion session on the current and future role of autologous stem cell transplant in the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Many steering committee members felt that this therapy no longer plays an important role in treatment of the disease.

During the ASCO2022 congress, the Lymphoma Hub was pleased to speak with Anita Kumar, Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center, New York, US. We asked, What is on the horizon for the frontline treatment of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL)? Kumar begins by discussing the historic treatment options for patients with MCL before highlighting that, in the future, clinicians hope to utilize information on clinical and biological baseline features that patients present with, and incorporate novel targeted therapies and MRD assessments to further individualize treatment for MCL. Kumar describes how increased pathobiological understanding has led to developments in the relapsed/refractory setting; results of studies, such as SHINE, have explored this. Finally, Kumar discusses other therapeutic options and outlines adverse events and efficacy seen in the current OASIS phase III trial.

During the 16th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (16-ICML), the Lymphoma Hub spoke with Laurie Sehn, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, CA, and Grzegorz Nowakowski, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, US. We asked, Is frontline R-CHOP still the standard of care for DLBCL?They begin by revisiting a debate from ICML centering on what the optimal upfront therapy is for DCLB, for Sehn R-CHOP remains the standard of care in most settings and Nowakowski suggests instances where other approaches might be preferred. They go on to discuss recent clinical studies and their impact on the current treatment landscape of DLBCL. Finally they explore how to integrate the results from clinical trials and highlight a promising future for DCLB treatment.

During the 2021 ASCO Annual Meeting, the Lymphoma Hub spoke with Catherine S. Diefenbach, Perlmutter Cancer Center, New York, US. We asked, What are the recent advances in antibody-drug conjugates for lymphoma treatment? Diefenbach summarizes key safety and efficacy data on three antibody therapies across the histological subtypes of lymphoma. These comprise: polatuzumab vedotin, an anti-CD79 antibody-drug conjugate; the bispecific antibodies mosunetuzumab, glofitamab, and epcoritamab; and finally, tafasitamab, a novel anti-CD19 monoclonal antibody.