Current and future management of NK/T-cell lymphoma based on clinical trials

Recently reported results of well-designed prospective clinical trials for extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKL) have rapidly changed the management of ENKL. This review will focus on the evidence obtained from prospective clinical trials for ENKL and discuss the most highly recommended current management and future directions for the better management of ENKL. For patients with nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma of stage IE or contiguous stage IIE with cervical node involvement, concurrent chemoradiotherapy with radiotherapy (RT) and a two-thirds dose of DeVIC chemotherapy is recommended as a first-line treatment. To obtain the expected clinical outcome, performing RT following the same procedure as that reported is important. For the other patients with newly diagnosed ENKL, SMILE chemotherapy is recommended as an induction therapy. The Epstein-Barr virus DNA load in peripheral blood is useful for both prognostication and monitoring during the follow-up after treatment. Other L-asparaginase-containing chemotherapies and chemotherapies containing non-multidrug resistance-related agents and etoposide are good options for elderly patients or patients with impaired organ function. As in the cases of other aggressive lymphomas, prospective clinical trials with adequate statistical considerations should be conducted to improve the prognosis of patients with ENKL.