Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma: problem state in Russia

Background. Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) are a heterogeneous group of hematological malignancies, the vast majority of which are B-cell tumors. The most common variant of NHL is diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), characterized by an aggressive course, which accounts for 30–40% of all NHL. The second most common is follicular lymphoma (FL), traditionally classified as an indolent variant accounting for up to 25% of all NHL. Current therapies for these lymphoproliferative disorders which includes innovative drugs in the 1st line of therapy (LT) have demonstrated high efficacy. However, some patients develop a relapse or a refractory disease. Despite recent significant progress in the development and implementation of innovative targeted drugs, in most cases, it is not possible to achieve persistent long-term remissions after disease relapse, which leaves patients with an unmet need for effective and well-tolerated treatment options.

Aim. To obtain objective data on the incidence, clinical course, and effectiveness of therapy for the most common variants of NHL in real-world practice in Russia.

Materials and methods. From February to March 2023, 130 hematologists and oncologists from 30 regions of Russia were surveyed to update the data on DLBCL and FL.

Results. Over the past 12 months, 5,689 patients with NHL were observed, of which 56% had DLBCL; 62% of them received the 1st LT, 22% received the 2nd LT, 10% received the 3rd LT, and only a few reached later lines. Analysis of the administered treatment options in the 2nd and 3rd LTs shows that there is no standard of care for this population, and the effectiveness of the regimens used in real-world Russian practice is extremely low. FL accounted for 23% of all 5,689 patients with NHL, of which 56% were newly diagnosed and 44% received treatment for relapse. The majority of patients with FL who received ≥3 LTs had an inferior prognosis and rapid disease progression: the median time from diagnosis to the beginning of the 3rd LT was only 26.4 months. The analysis of treatment options for patients with relapsed FL indicates a lack of standard and effective therapies.

Conclusion. Relapsed and refractory DLBCL and FL represent a complex clinical situation where the main goal of treatment is disease control due to the impossibility of achieving stable remissions with existing treatment options. Clinicians with great hope are looking to the emergence of new classes of drugs that will be able to improve the prognosis for this complex population.