Early-Stage Follicular Lymphoma: What Is the Preferred Treatment Strategy?

A cost-effectiveness analysis of front-line treatment strategies in early-stage follicular lymphoma

Recent data suggest the use of radiotherapy alone (RT) in Early-Stage Follicular Lymphoma is declining. Cost-effectiveness analysis of treatments has not been performed. We constructed a partitioning model (15-year horizon) to compare RT, combined-modality therapy (CMT) and immunochemotherapy with rituximab maintenance (ICT + RM) from a PET-staged cohort from the Australian Lymphoma Alliance. Lifetime direct health care costs, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were calculated. AUD $75,000 was defined as the willingness-to-pay threshold (WTP). The direct healthcare costs were: RT $12,791, CMT $29,391 and ICT + RM $42,644. Compared with RT, CMT demonstrated minimal improvement in QALYs (+0.01) and an ICER well above the WTP threshold ($1,535,488). Compared with RT, ICT + RM demonstrated an improvement in QALYs (+0.41) with an ICER of $73,319. Modeling a 25% cost reduction with a rituximab biosimilar led to further ICER reductions with ICT + RM ($52,476). ICT + RM is cost-effective in early-stage FL from the Australian taxpayer perspective.

Radiotherapy for Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas

Radiotherapy (RT) plays a diverse and essential role in the contemporary management of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and remains the single most powerful monotherapeutic intervention for both aggressive and indolent subtypes. Over the past decade, there have been significant advancements in radiation oncology practice, which have made modern treatments safer and more conformal. Despite this sophistication and evidence supporting a continued role for RT, numerous data suggest that utilization is on the decline. In this review, we discuss the rationale for RT in 4 commonly encountered scenarios: combined modality therapy for limited-stage aggressive NHL, consolidation therapy for advanced-stage aggressive NHL, and the changing roles of salvage RT for relapsed/refractory NHL in an era of new frontiers such as cellular therapies. We also evaluate current strategies to treat indolent histologies. We conclude with perspectives on how RT for the hematological malignancies may continue to evolve.

How we treat mature B-cell neoplasms (indolent B-cell lymphomas)

Mature B cell neoplasms, previously indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas (iNHLs), are a heterogeneous group of malignancies sharing similar disease courses and treatment paradigms. Most patients with iNHL have an excellent prognosis, and in many, treatment can be deferred for years. However, some patients will have an accelerated course and may experience transformation into aggressive lymphomas. In this review, we focus on management concepts shared across iNHLs, as well as histology-specific strategies. We address open questions in the field, including the influence of genomics and molecular pathway alterations on treatment decisions. In addition, we review the management of uncommon clinical entities including nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma, hairy cell leukemia, splenic lymphoma and primary lymphoma of extranodal sites. Finally, we include a perspective on novel targeted therapies, antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, bispecific T cell engagers and chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy.

How to manage early-stage follicular lymphoma

INTRODUCTION

Early-stage follicular lymphoma (FL) is characterized by good prognosis and can be cured with involved-field radiotherapy (IF-RT) in most cases. PET scan is a milestone of diagnostic work-up, with the aim of identifying a truly localized disease; however, staging in most of the studies was without PET.

AREAS COVERED

We have searched in MEDLINE (inclusive dates 1994-2020) data about localized FL management. While high-quality evidence is lacking, current guidelines recommend IFRT or involved-site RT as first-line treatment in limited stages FL. Since a significant proportion of disease relapse occurred in non-irradiated areas, it has been hypothesized that occult disease could be present at diagnosis and could persist after RT, contributing to relapse. Available treatment options include watch-and-wait, chemotherapy, RT plus chemo- or chemo-immunotherapy, and RT combined with rituximab (R).

EXPERT OPINION

RT combined with chemotherapy could increase PFS, but a clear OS benefit is lacking and toxic effects could be unacceptable. A promising strategy is represented by R combined with IF-RT, with low relapse rate outside the radiation fields and without the toxicity reported with chemotherapy. The study of prognostic factors in PET-staged patients, the reduction of RT fields and doses, and a response-adapted strategy represent new perspectives to investigate.