Future perspectives in frontline MCL treatment and management: a European and US view

This podcast episode features two expert-led roundtable discussions from the recent 4th International Workshop on Myelodysplastic Syndromes and Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (iwMDS/iwMPN 2026) and focuses on updates in myelofibrosis from the meeting. First, Raajit Rampal, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, Pankit Vachhani, MD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, and Nikolai Podoltsev, MD, PhD, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, provide an update on combination strategies in frontline myelofibrosis and discuss three agents in Phase III development as partners for ruxolitinib: selinexor, navtemadlin, and pelabresib. The experts also comment on whether these agents are more likely to be used upfront or as add-on therapy in patients with a suboptimal response to frontline JAK inhibitor treatment.  In the second discussion, Claire Harrison, MD, FRCP, FRCPath, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, Naveen Pemmaraju, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, Joseph Scandura, MD, PhD, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, Lucia Masarova, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, Rupali Bhave, MD, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC, outline novel approaches in the second-line setting that move beyond the targeting of JAK/STAT signaling. They also highlight the wider consequences of myelofibrosis, including pulmonary hypertension, and the opportunity for closer collaboration with cardio-oncology.

This VJHemOnc podcast episode explores future directions in frontline mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) treatment, focusing on the evolving role of chemotherapy, BTK inhibitors, and autologous stem cell transplantation. Mats Jerkeman, MD, PhD, Lund University, Lund, Sweden, shares a European perspective on changing frontline treatment standards, including the implications of the TRIANGLE and ECHO trials and the challenges of treating patients with high-risk disease. Jonathon Cohen, MD, MS, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA, discusses patient selection for chemotherapy-free approaches, the role of TP53 mutations and measurable residual disease (MRD) in treatment decisions, and emerging therapies, including BTK degraders, CAR T-cell therapy, and bispecific antibodies. Together, the experts explore how biological risk factors may increasingly guide treatment selection and consider the approaches that could shape the future of frontline MCL management. 

This episode of the VJHemOnc podcast features an exclusive expert-led roundtable discussion summarizing two sessions from the 8th International Workshop on Acute Leukemias (iwAL 2026) that focused on novel targets, combinations, and treatments in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This session is chaired by Gail Roboz, MD, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York City, NY, who is joined by panelists Sanam Loghavi, MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, Marina Konopleva, MD, PhD, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York City, NY, and Thomas Cluzeau, MD, PhD, Central University Hospital of Nice, Nice, France. The experts explore the evolving genetic classification of AML and the nuances of TP53, the move from azacitidine and venetoclax toward molecularly guided triplets, emerging strategies to overcome menin inhibitor resistance and target TP53-mutated disease, and the promise of an all-oral regimen in this malignancy. 

In this episode of the VJHemOnc podcast, experts discuss key advances in multiple myeloma presented at the 23rd Annual Meeting and Exposition of the International Myeloma Society (IMS 2026) in Glasgow, UK. Pieter Sonneveld, MD, PhD, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands, reviews long-term outcomes from the Phase III PERSEUS trial (NCT03710603), while Zachary Avigan, MD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, explores treatment cessation and the potential for cure. Rakesh Popat, MBBS, MRCP, FRCPath, PhD, University College London Hospitals, London, UK, discusses combination strategies at first relapse, and Luciano Costa, MD, PhD, UAB School of Medicine, Birmingham, AL, examines survival outcomes with teclistamab plus daratumumab in MajesTEC-3 (NCT05083169). Hermann Einsele, MD, FRCP, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany, reviews ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel) outcomes, Shaji Kumar, MD, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, discusses the CERVINO trial (NCT06158841) of etentamig, and Paul Richardson, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, explores the evolving role of cereblon E3 ligase modulatory drug (CELMoDs).

This VJHemOnc podcast explores how BTK inhibitor therapy can be personalized for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), considering disease biology, patient characteristics and treatment goals. Kerry Rogers, MD, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, discusses frontline treatment selection, molecular risk and factors influencing BTK inhibitor choice, while Florian Simon, MD, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany, examines cardiovascular toxicity and treatment considerations in older patients and those with comorbidities. Dima El-Sharkawi, MB, BS, MA, PhD, MRCP, FRCPath, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, discusses quality of life and shared decision-making, and Gianluca Gaidano, MD, PhD, University of Eastern Piedmont, Vercelli, Italy, explores BTK inhibitor selectivity, safety and treatment options following covalent BTK inhibitor failure.

This episode of the VJHemOnc podcast, featuring Manali Kamdar, MD, University of Colorado Cancer Center, Denver, CO, focuses on the practical use of BTK inhibitors (BTKis) in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Dr Kamdar begins by discussing which factors guide patient selection for BTKi therapy and outlines how to choose among available agents. She then shares valuable insights on toxicity management, approaching patients with cardiovascular comorbidities, and monitoring treatment response and progression. Finally, Dr Kamdar leaves community physicians with three practical takeaways for successfully using BTKis in everyday clinical practice.

This VJHemOnc podcast explores the evolving role of gene therapy in hemophilia, focusing on the challenges of AAV-based approaches and the development of next-generation strategies. Radek Kaczmarek, PhD, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, discusses the limitations of AAV gene therapy in hemophilia A, including factor VIII engineering, durability, and liver toxicity. He also examines potential malignancy risks associated with AAV integration and the importance of long-term surveillance following treatment. Finally, Dr Kaczmarek discusses emerging non-AAV approaches, including lentiviral gene therapy, targeted gene insertion, and gene editing, and their potential to address some of the limitations of current gene therapy approaches.

This VJHemOnc podcast explores the evolving management of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), from assessing patient fitness to sequencing therapy after BTK inhibitor progression. Tycel Phillips, MD, FASCO, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, and Yasmin Karimi, MD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, discuss assessing fitness and frailty, while Craig Portell, MD, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, outlines the multidisciplinary approach to MCL care. Nirav Shah, MD, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, reviews frontline sequencing, including using MRD status to guide transplant decisions, and Dr Phillips and Dr Portell discuss managing patients with higher-risk disease features. Dr Portell also addresses toxicity and treatment burden with long-term BTK inhibitor use. To conclude, Manali Kamdar, MD, University of Colorado Cancer Center, Denver, CO, and Dr Karimi highlight emerging options after BTK inhibitor progression, including non-covalent BTK inhibitors, BCL2 inhibitors, CAR T-cell therapy, and bispecific antibodies.

This VJHemOnc podcast explores the evolving treatment landscape in multiple myeloma, focusing on treatment selection and sequencing across the disease course. Fredrik Schjesvold, MD, PhD, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway, discusses shared decision-making in frontline treatment, while Peter Voorhees, MD, Levine Cancer Institute, Charlotte, NC, explores sequencing CAR T-cell therapies and bispecific antibodies, including the choice between BCMA- and GPRC5D-directed approaches. Rahul Banerjee, MD, FACP, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, reviews updated findings from the MajesTEC-3 trial (NCT05083169) of teclistamab plus daratumumab in high-risk disease, and Peter Voorhees discusses Phase III MonumenTAL-3 (NCT05455320) data evaluating talquetamab plus daratumumab, with or without pomalidomide. Efstathios Kastritis, MD, University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece, highlights strategies for managing infections associated with bispecific antibodies, while Mohamad Mohty, MD, PhD, Saint-Antoine Hospital, Paris, France, discusses the transition towards community-based delivery of bispecific therapies.

There has been a significant shift in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), driven by the emergence of novel immunotherapies. In this episode, leading experts explore how these advances are changing the treatment landscape and where the field is headed next. First, Marlise Luskin, MD, MSCE, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, outlines emerging treatment strategies for ALL and highlights the potential to reduce reliance on intensive chemotherapy by integrating novel therapies into clinical practice. Then, Martin Schrappe, MD, FRCP, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany, shares insights into a trial evaluating blinatumomab as a replacement for high-dose chemotherapy in pediatric patients with newly diagnosed high-risk ALL. Following this, you will hear a discussion from the 8th International Workshop on CAR-T and Bispecifics, in which Ibrahim Aldoss, MD, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, and Bijal Shah, MD, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, provide updates on T-cell engagers and CAR T-cell therapy in ALL. To conclude the episode, Nicola Maciocia, MBChB, PhD, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK, discusses advances in CAR-T for T-cell ALL and comments on whether cellular immunotherapy may be the most promising approach to curing this leukemia subtype.