Mantle cell lymphoma: are current therapies changing the course of disease?

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a rare entity of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, although it seems to be increasing in incidence and severity. There is no accepted standard therapy; however, one controlled clinical trial demonstrated that intensive induction immunochemotherapy followed by high-dose radiochemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation was superior to conventional treatment. Moreover, uncontrolled studies of intensive immunochemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation now suggest that MCL may be cured. Insight into the biology of MCL is expanding, opening new avenues of treatment with well-defined molecular targets, including CD20, mammalian target of rapamycin, and proteasomes.