Dr. Kumar on Addressing Unmet Needs in Mantle Cell Lymphoma

Anita Kumar, MD, medical oncologist, Regional Care Network Medical Site Director, MSK Basking Ridge, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses efforts made to address areas of unmet need in mantle cell lymphoma.

Challenges still exist in treating patients with MCL who harbor p53 mutations, blastic disease, and primary refractory disease, and efforts are currently underway to identify which therapies may have activity in these subsets, according to Kumar. Recently, data with brexucabtagene autoleucel (formerly KTE-X19; Tecartus) suggest that the CAR T-cell therapy can improve efficacy, even in high-risk subsets, Kumar says. 

Because remissions are often shorter with standard chemotherapy/immunotherapy regimens, as well as novel targeted therapies, patients who experience early relapse, harbor p53 mutations, or have blastic disease should be referred to a specialized center with access to CAR T-cell therapy, Kumar concludes.