Comment: defining cure in primary CNS lymphoma

Primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL), a type of extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma, is a potentially curable brain cancer. Ongoing randomized trials assessing treatments for PCNSL will ultimately establish a standard of care. Until that time, practitioners have multiple treatment options from which to choose. In this report, the authors provide long-term follow-up data from a phase 2 clinical trial in newly diagnosed PCNSL patients, ages 18-70, treated with MATILDE chemotherapy followed by whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT).(1) The MATILDE regimen, like all induction chemotherapy currently utilized for PCNSL, includes methotrexate, the single most effective agent against PCNSL. Following chemotherapy, patients received a consolidative WBRT dose based on their initial response to chemotherapy.