Putting the precision in precision medicine care for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

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Apr 19, 2018 | Mayo Clinic Hematology Staff | @mayoclinichematologystaff

Original post by Sharon Rosen in the Individualized Medicine Blog

Each year, more than 20,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, the most common type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. While the likelihood of developing the disease increases with age, men and women in all age groups and from many ethnic backgrounds can develop the disease, which can start in many areas of the body.

According to Mayo Clinic hematologist Grzegorz Nowakowski, M.D., there are more than 30 different subtypes of the disease, making it difficult to treat all patients with a standard, one-size-fits-all approach. Dr. Nowakowski and his colleagues are exploring whether an individualized approach can improve care for these patients.

“Some types of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma involve slower growing tumors, while others are more aggressive and can rapidly spread to other areas of the body. That’s why it is so critical to diagnose each patient’s disease subtype quickly and accurately to help select the best, individualized treatment plan. Mayo Clinic has been a leader in bringing forth research discoveries to create new diagnostic tests and conduct clinical research to find new targeted therapies, especially for those patients whose cancer returns after standard therapy.” - Grzegorz Nowakowski, M.D.
“Some types of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma involve slower growing tumors, while others are more aggressive and can rapidly spread to other areas of the body. That’s why it is so critical to diagnose each patient’s disease subtype quickly and accurately to help select the best, individualized treatment plan. Mayo Clinic has been a leader in bringing forth research discoveries to create new diagnostic tests and conduct clinical research to find new targeted therapies, especially for those patients whose cancer returns after standard therapy,” says Dr. Nowakowski, associate director, Mayo Clinic Center for Individualized Medicine Epigenomics Program.

In 2016 with support from the Mayo Clinic Center of Individualized Medicine, researchers launched the first genetic test, the Lymph2Cx, available in the U.S. to help guide diagnosis and treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma based on  how the lymphoma started, assigning “cell-of-origin” groups using a 20-gene expression-based test.

Researchers are using this test along with other genetic tests to develop individualized therapies for patients. Some patients, who are at high risk for recurrence, are having pre-emptive genetic testing to help select alternative targeted therapies if their cancer returns.

To read more about precision medicine and lymphoma treatment, click here.

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