Evolving Questions

The folks at ASCO have provided a helpful summary of the International Hematology Meeting this summer, including this nice piece on "Evolving Questions in Follicular Lymphoma," highlighting some of the issues that we are slowly creeping toward getting resolved.

As the article says, there is the growing feeling that Treanda (Bendamustine) might be considered as the standard first-line treatment for fNHL, replacing CHOP chemotherapy. Currently, lots of people (though certainly not all) recieve CHOP as their initial treatment, especially when the fNHL is more aggressive, or (it seems to me, based on my suppprt group) if the patient lives somewhere that makes constant vigilance more difficult. CHOP is a fairly aggressive treatment, and with it comes aggressive side effects, including potential heart damage. Treanda has proven to be as effective as CHOP -- maybe more effective -- with less toxicity, and therefore fewer side effects. The study described in the link was conducted in France, and now other researchers (including some in the US) are trying to confirm the results with their own studies. I'm especially interested because Dr. R mentioned Treanda as a possiblity for me; in fact, he said this treatment was the one he had in mind for me next, but then he pulled back and said he didn't want to be pinned down. So I'll be watching this research closely.

The other issues discussed involved RIT and other post-remission therapies. There's still no clear answer for what a patient should do after receiving initial treatment. Nothing? Rituxan maintanance? RIT? All have their pros and cons, as the article points out. Something else that I'm very interested in, given my desire to be at least one step ahead of where I am now.

The full ASCO conference will take place later this year, which means more follow-ups on earlier research, and reports of new research. That's always exciting to read about. Hope is a good thing...