Subtype Report: Mantle Cell Lymphoma

Patients with MCL have a variable course of disease progression and early detection can often prove to be difficult. There is no standard of care or recommended treatment regimen for MCL with many questions around intensity of therapy and efficacy of maintenance therapy. As is the case with many other rare cancers the need for a specialist is imperative.

It is encouraging to see the number of MCL trials particularly those that are for MCL patients only. Clinical trials targeting the BCR and PI3K-AKT-mTOR signaling pathways would appear to be the most promising areas of research and can further broaden the available therapeutic options for patients with MCL. The challenge will be to incorporate these therapies in to the first-line setting to achieve immediate response rates with minimum toxicity.

While targeted therapies are approved for MCL, reimbursement is still lacking in many countries. With financial concerns being one of the top barriers to treatment these patients may be confined to receiving only conventional therapies.

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