Rethinking clinical response and outcome assessment in a biologic age

Standardized response criteria for lymphoma are critical for the evaluation of new therapies. Widely adopted recommendations, most recently the Lugano classification, have been developed primarily for assessment of conventional chemotherapeutic regimens. More recently, several classes of drugs, including immunomodulatory agents, B cell receptor pathway targeting kinases, and checkpoint (PD-1, PDL-1) inhibitors have demonstrated impressive activity in a broad range of histologies. However, they may be associated with features during treatment suggestive of progressive disease despite clinical benefit. Immune response criteria have been proposed for solid tumors, and a modification is needed to be more applicable to lymphomas. Following treatment, conservative use of imaging is recommended based on clinical indications. As newer targeted agents with unique mechanisms of action are developed, current response and follow-up criteria must be made sufficiently flexible for optimal evaluation.