Management of relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma: a review of current therapeutic strategies

Abstract Despite recent advances in therapeutic strategies, a large proportion of patients with mantle cell lymphoma experience progression after first-line treatment. Several attempts have been performed for assessing the role of different therapies for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory MCL; however, a consensus on the optimal therapeutic strategy for each single patient has not been reached. Overall, clinical evidence from phase II studies show that high-dose containing regimens, stem cell transplantation, and different biological agents all have promising activity with acceptable safety profiles. Therefore, these therapies can represent suitable treatment options for patients with refractory/relapsed MCL. Among different biological agents, at present only temsirolimus was tested in a phase III study. This review discusses available evidence on the management of refractory/relapsed MCL as discussed during a consensus meeting on the current treatment strategies for MCL.