Current treatment algorithm: diffuse large B cell lymphoma

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive B-cell malignancy and is the most common subtype of lymphoma. Treatment is administered with curative intent and approximately two thirds of patients are expected to have durable long-term survival. To achieve this, anthracycline-based chemotherapy in combination with rituximab is typically administered as initial therapy. Management is optimized based on the disease stage, prognostic clinical features, and histological or molecular subclassification. In patients with the activated B-cell subtype of DLBCL, polatuzumab vedotin is commonly included in the combination. For those with Myc and BCL-2 rearrangements, a more treatment intense approach is used. Despite this risk-adapted approach, at least one third of patients relapse. Those who relapse within 1 year, or are resistant to initial therapy typically receive chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. For those relapsing more than a year post initial treatment, salvage chemotherapy followed by an autologous stem cell transplant is offered. In patients ineligible for cellular therapy, or those who progress after CAR T-cell treatment, management is palliative and includes administration of bispecific antibodies or antibody drug conjugate combinations. To further improve the outcome of DLBCL patients, incorporation of cellular and bispecific therapies into front-line treatment is currently being tested.