Treatment of localized-stage follicular lymphoma

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is the most common indolent lymphoma, and it most frequently presents in an advanced stage. Therapeutic considerations for advanced stage are different from those of localized-stage FL, in which radiotherapy (RT) is generally recommended. However, the available evidence suffers from shortcomings that are relatively specific to this clinical entity due to its rarity and long survival with all available treatment modalities, including that most of the existing evidence originated at a time when diagnostic classifications, staging procedures and radiotherapeutic standards were different from those available today and when anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies were not available. Available treatment modalities include observation, systemic therapy only, RT only and RT in combination with systemic therapy. We review the evidence available with each of them and the data from present-day clinical practice studies as well as briefly discuss what diagnostic and therapeutic developments may take place in the next few years.