Dr. Leslie on Remaining Questions to Address in MCL

Lori Leslie, MD, a hematology specialist with Regional Cancer Care Associates, discusses key questions to address with future research efforts in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

During the 4th Annual Live Medical Crossfire®: Hematologic Malignancies, hosted by Physicians’ Education Resource®, LLC., one of the hot-button topics of discussion focused on the controversies surrounding up-front therapy in MCL. Should up-front intensive therapies be utilized or less intensive approaches? Another question has to do with which patients should receive which treatment strategy, says Leslie. 

In the relapsed/refractory setting, so many agents are available, adds Leslie. Should 1 BTK inhibitor be used over another? Which combinations are showing the most promise? Another topic of discussion focused on how to best sequence all the therapies that are currently available, says Leslie.

As CAR T-cell therapies emerge and start to become more readily available to patients with MCL, it is important to determine how research efforts will further be developed in the space, says Leslie. Once safety and efficacy data are better established in the relapsed/refractory setting, understanding where it should be used and how it can potentially be used to improve outcomes earlier on in the disease course will become the next important questions to answer, concludes Leslie.