Dr. Barrientos on Important Considerations for Patients with MCL

Jacqueline C. Barrientos, MD, associate professor, The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Northwell Health, discusses important considerations for patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

First, a patient with MCL should consider a second opinion when they are not responding well to treatment. Centers that specifically treat patients with MCL could have certain access to clinical trials that may not yet be available to community oncologists. Enrolling in a clinical trial could improve survival outcomes. Patients should at least speak with an expert if they are exhausting their treatment options.

Barrientos adds that the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society also has access to ongoing clinical trials testing promising agents. The biggest challenge for patients with MCL is the high risk of relapse. A recently published clinical trial tested ibrutinib (Imbruvica) with venetoclax (Venclexta), and showed promising responses in this setting. Great activity is being seen with novel therapies, Barrientos says, and it could change the management of MCL as long as toxicity is manageable.