BSH 2018 | Molecular-guided treatment of B-cell lymphomas
The multitude of novel therapies present within the field of lymphoma has inevitably given rise to an assortment of challenges. In this interview, Jude Fitzgibbon, BA, PhD, of Barts Cancer Institute, London, UK, commends the merits of the REMoDL-B trial (NCT01324596), in which lymph nodes were collected and cells of origin (ABC or GCB) determined for upwards of 1,000 patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Prof. Fitzgibbon uses this to illustrate the importance of collecting biopsy material at diagnosis, in order to change, alter or amend treatment based on this molecular data. He reiterates the importance of increased innovation when designing and executing clinical trials, drawing upon molecular rationale to guide decisions – for example, the inefficacy of venetoclax in follicular lymphoma caused by t(14;18) translocation.
