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Review
. 2021 Dec 10;11(12):1345.
doi: 10.3390/jpm11121345.

Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: A Look at the Approved and Emerging Therapies

Yazeed Sawalha  1
Affiliations
Review

Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: A Look at the Approved and Emerging Therapies

Yazeed Sawalha. J Pers Med. .

Abstract

Approximately 40% of patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) do not respond or develop relapsed disease after first-line chemoimmunotherapy. A minority of these patients can be cured with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHCT). Although chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have transformed the treatment paradigm of relapsed/refractory DLBCL, only 30-40% of patients achieve durable remissions. In addition, many patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL are ineligible to receive treatment with CAR T cells due to comorbidities or logistical limitations. Since 2019, the following four non-CAR T-cell treatments have been approved in relapsed/refractory DLBCL: polatuzumab in combination with bendamustine and rituximab, selinexor, tafasitamab plus lenalidomide, and loncastuximab. In this article, I review the data behind these four approvals and discuss important considerations on their use in clinical practice. I also review emerging therapies that have shown promising early results in relapsed/refractory DLBCL including the bispecific antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitors, BCL2 inhibitors, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and epigenetic modifiers.

Keywords: DLBCL; FDA-approved; emerging; novel.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Y.S. has received research funding from BMS, Celgene, TG Therapeutics, and Beigene. He has consulted for TG Therapeutics and Epizyme outside of the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mechanisms of action for recently approved novel therapies in relapsed/refractory DLBCL. Created with BioRender.com (accessed on 1 October 2021).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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