Sequencing of therapies in relapsed follicular lymphoma

Abstract

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is an incurable but treatable disease with vast treatment options. Despite the abundance of efficacious treatment modalities, there is no universally agreed upon standard approach to treatment, particularly in the relapsed/refractory setting. There is an increasing need for more robust and clinically available tools to risk-stratify patients and identify those likely to experience early relapse, which is currently recognized as the unmet need in FL. Additionally, the use of gene-expression profiling and next-generation sequencing techniques in recent years has led to a wealth of knowledge regarding the molecular drivers of lymphomagenesis. However, much of this knowledge is not currently available in the clinic to inform treatment decisions. Future studies are needed to generate clinically relevant predictive models adept at incorporating patient-specific and molecular features to inform management strategies along the entire disease continuum as treatment decisions should not be made in a vacuum with a one-size-fits-all approach. Sequencing of therapy in the management of relapsed FL should involve personalized decision-making for care plans that balance patient characteristics, preferences, and comorbidities with treatment-related factors such as efficacy, toxicity profile, and mechanisms of action to achieve a durable, quality remission.