Current lymphoma therapies are a far cry from the mustard gas used more than 50 years ago. More treatment options, including ones that may be more effective and less toxic, are being studied in ongoing clinical trials.
“Clinical trials really are the future of lymphoma treatment,” says Ann LaCasce, MD, a medical oncologist in the Adult Lymphoma Program at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center.
Clinical trials have led to a number of improved therapies for both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, including approved drugs like Brentuximab, Ibrutinib and Lenalidomide. Meanwhile, studies continue on other promising new drugs like Idelalisib.
LaCasce details many of these new drugs and future treatment options in her presentation, “Clinical Trials, Emerging New Drugs and Future Concepts of Treatment in Lymphoma.” The talk was given at the Lymphoma Research Foundation’s (LRF) North American Educational Forum in September 2013.
To view LaCasce’s presentation, visit the Dana-Farber Slideshare page.
View more presentations given at the LRF’s annual conference:
Dr. Ann, your comments about “mustard gas” are particularly timely considering some of the popular chatter about Bendamustine, essentially an old chemotherapy. I’m no expert, just one DFCI patient who has participated in a few Clinical Trials of emerging targeted therapies which I believe will prove to be safer and more effective than conventional chemotherapy. Just my opinion- cancer patients should engage his/her oncologist to explore what novel treatment options are available in Clinical Trials. As we travel the road to Personalized Medicine still under construction, genomics-based therapy rather than empirical therapy might be our best option. Jack