Abstract:
Follicular lymphoma (FL), the most common indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), has a high five-year survival rate. However, it will eventually develop into relapsed/refractory lymphoma in a subset of patients. FL is characterized by slow growth and is often considered incurable in advanced stages. Therefore, treatment strategies should be aimed at attaining higher efficacy while minimizing toxicity. A number of novel, nonchemotherapeutic agents have been developed for FL and the prognosis of patients with FL is improving. Currently, clinical trials on targeted molecular drugs with good activity including BTK inhibitors, PI3K inhibitors, Bcl-2 inhibitors, EZH2 inhibitors, etc. In addition, immunotherapy drugs, such as lenalidomide, obinutuzumab, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) immunotherapy, programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) antibody-drug conjugates, and bispecific antibodies, have shown good therapeutic efficacy, thereby providing new possibilities for improving the prognosis of patients with FL. Utilization of various forms of immunotherapies requires careful consideration of the unique toxicities associated with these therapies and the means to mitigate them. This article reviews the above-mentioned new developments in immunotherapies and targeted molecular therapies for FL.