Small-Molecule Inhibitors for the Treatment of Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains the most common non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in developed countries. Up to 30-40% of patients experience either refractory or relapsed disease following receipt of front-line chemoimmunotherapy, and the majority of these patients will not be cured following receipt of subsequent therapy.

Small-molecule inhibitors (SMIs) are an attractive class of therapeutics for patients with chemorefractory DLBCL, and early-phase studies with these agents have typically demonstrated prolonged periods of disease control in responding patients without significant toxicity. Later-phase studies have investigated the combination of SMIs with cytotoxic agents in hopes that exposure to SMIs in the treatment course may improve outcomes for patients who would otherwise develop chemorefractory disease. SMIs appear to be effective in the treatment of DLBCL. A greater understanding of the molecular features of cases of DLBCL will allow for the more rational and presumably successful utilization of these targeted agents.