New Study Identifies Effective Treatment Strategies for Aggressive Blood Cancers

Recent research from the Mass General Brigham team has shed light on optimal treatment approaches for relapsed and refractory (R/R) mature T and natural killer (NK)-cell lymphomas, which are aggressive forms of blood cancer often resistant to initial therapies. The study highlights that patients who received small molecule inhibitors as second-line treatment followed by epigenetic modifiers as third-line therapy experienced improved survival outcomes.

The research, detailed in the British Journal of Haematology, utilized data from the PETAL Consortium and involved analyzing 540 patients receiving second-line therapy and 290 receiving third-line treatment. The findings demonstrated that this sequential approach—using targeted signaling inhibitors like duvelisib initially, then following up with epigenetic modifiers—significantly extended patient survival compared to other treatment sequences.

Despite the lack of a standardized protocol for these challenging lymphomas, the study advocates for earlier incorporation of these novel therapies and underscores the need for ongoing clinical investigation. High-risk patient groups, including those with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, showed particularly notable benefits.

Lead researcher Mark Sorial emphasized that these findings support prioritizing targeted and epigenetic therapies in treatment protocols and encourage further research into specific drug combinations. The study provides a valuable framework for optimizing treatment sequences and highlights the potential of small molecule inhibitors in improving outcomes for patients with limited options.

This breakthrough advances our understanding of how tailored, sequential therapy can enhance survival in aggressive blood cancers and may pave the way for new standards in treatment strategies.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-treatment-regimen-aggressive-blood-cancer.html