Join Amir Behdad, MD and Leo Gordon, MD as they present their multidisciplinary expertise on a range of cases pertaining to mantle cell lymphoma.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a less common subtype of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma characterized by the reciprocal chromosomal translocation t(11;14), resulting in the overexpression of cyclin D1. Cyclin D1-negative cases of MCL lacking t(11;14)have also been reported through gene expression pro?ling. The pathologic and clinical characteristics of cyclin D1-negative MCL appear to be similar to those of cyclin D1-positive cases.

MCL is thought to possess the worst characteristics of both indolent and aggressive NHL subtypes owing to the incurability of disease with conventional chemotherapy and a more aggressive disease course. Early stage localized disease at presentation is extremely rare and evidence for the management of this group of patients is very scarce. Radiation therapy (RT) with or without systemic therapy is a reasonable approach for the few patients presenting with early stage disease. The majority of patients diagnosed with MCL present with advanced stage disease requiring systemic therapy, although in highly selected cases “watch and wait” approach may be an option. The addition of rituximab to chemotherapy has resulted in durable complete remissions in newly diagnosed patients. However, there is lack of definitive data to recommend specific regimens for the management of patients with MCL.