Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) outcomes have improved in recent years as a result of an influx of improved treatments, including rituximab, high dose Ara-C and stem cell transplant. As Marek Trneny, MD, PhD, of Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic, explained at the 23rd Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) 2018, held in Stockholm, Sweden, however, there has been uncertainty as to which of these treatments is most responsible for the change. In this interview, he describes his retrospective analysis of MCL patients under a variety of treatment plans, and concludes that rituximab maintenance therapy after immunochemotherapy is key to the shift in outcomes, particularly in elderly patients.
Rituximab maintenance key to outcome improvement in mantle cell lymphoma
