At the iwNHL 2014, Prof John Gribben (Barts Cancer Institute, London, UK) interviews Prof Wolfram Brugger (University of Freiburg, Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany) and Dr Myron Czuczman (Roswell Park Cancer Institute, New York, USA) about the current and future clinical application of targeted or chemotherapy-free therapies in lymphoma. They discuss their experiences and some of the challenges of these therapies in clinical practice. It is emphasised that targeted therapies should not necessarily be used as standalone approaches. Combinations of targeted therapies and conventional therapies should be considered, and emerging clinical trials investigating combinations are described. The use of patient’s age to determine therapeutic approach may not be appropriate; it is important to find the right therapy for individual patients.