Interrogating B cell signaling pathways: A quest for novel therapies for mantle cell lymphoma

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive B cell lymphoma that is largely chemoresistant. Ibrutinib, a drug that inhibits Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), has improved the overall survival of patients with MCL; however, resistance to ibrutinib has emerged as a decisive, negative factor in the prognosis of MCL. Adopting a more patient-centric therapeutic approach that incorporates applied genomics and interrogation of B cell signaling pathways may offer an alternative route to reach durable remission in patients with MCL. Although targeting genetic variants in MCL is not yet feasible in the clinical setting, the identification and targeting of increasingly active B cell signaling pathways may be a viable therapeutic strategy that may improve patient outcomes. Genome-editing tools and sequencing platforms could play dominant roles in patient-centric approaches of treatment in the future, potentially improving clinical outcomes for patients with MCL.