Vol 1, No 4 (2010)
Review paper
Published online: 2010-11-24
How I treat a patient with newly diagnosed follicular lymphoma?
Hematologia 2010;1(4):320-329.
Abstract
Treatment of de novo follicular lymphoma (FL) is difficult due to lack of generally accepted
standards for therapy. During the first attempt to the patient with FL is mandatory to determine
whether the treatment should be applied to the patient without delay or supposed to be
postponed (watch and wait stategy). Such decision - to defer treatment or to watch and wait
- must be based on the objective and scientific proven criteria as they are prognostic indices
(FLIPI/FLIPI2) and clinical algorithms (GELF/BNLI). Rituximab maintenance is considered
to be a standard therapeutic strategy for patients achieving clinical response with first-line therapy. Consolidation of the first remission using radioimmunotherapy (RIT) serves as
alternative approach. First remission consolidation with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) is recommended only in well designed clinical trials. In this
manuscript a comprehensive approach to the therapy of untreated FL is provided.
Hematologia 2010; 1, 4: 320-329
Hematologia 2010; 1, 4: 320-329
Keywords: follicular lymphomarituximabimmunochemotherapyradioimmunotherapyautologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation