Owen A. O’Connor, Chief Scientific Officer at TG Therapeutics, gives an overview of follicular lymphoma (FL) and marginal zone lymphoma (MZL).

 

 

FL is typically an indolent form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) that arises from B-lymphocytes. It is the second most common form of NHL. FL is generally not curable and is considered a chronic disease, as patients can live for many years with this form of lymphoma. With an annual incidence in the United States of approximately 13,200 newly diagnosed patients, FL is the most common indolent lymphoma accounting for approximately 17% of all NHL cases. Presentation of follicular lymphoma includes asymptomatic peripheral adenopathy in cervical, axillary, inguinal and femoral regions of the lymph nodes. Waxing and waning of the lymph nodes in common as well. 

MZL comprises a group of indolent mature B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas. MZL is generally considered a chronic and incurable disease. With an annual incidence of approximately 8,200 newly diagnosed patients in the United States, MZL is the third most common B-cell NHL, accounting for approximately ten percent of all NHL cases. MZL consists of three different subtypes: extranodal MZL of the mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), nodal marginal zone lymphoma (NMZL), and splenic marginal zone lymphoma (SMZL).

Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved umbralisib, a multikinase inhibitor of PI3K-delta and CK1-epsilon, for the treatment of relapsed or refractory FL and relapsed or refractory MZL. 

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