At the iwNHL 2014, Prof Susan OBrien (MD Anderson Cancer Center, Texas, USA) and Prof Eva Kimby (Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden) provide an overview of mantle cell lymphoma. Current treatment strategies are discussed. There is a focus on ibrutinib therapy for patients who relapse after first-line therapy and a comparison is made with its use in treating chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Future trial and clinical directions are also examined.