Disease management landscape in patients with mantle cell lymphoma in Japan: a real-world study

The objective of this study was to describe the disease management landscape for patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) in Japan. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with retrospective data capture of physicians and their consulting patients between March and December 2022. Physicians completed patient record forms in a 1:2 ratio: one patient receiving first-line (1 L) treatment and two patients with relapsed/refractory disease, one of whom must have received and discontinued a Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi). Sixty-seven patients were included - most were male (74.6%) and diagnosed with classical MCL (76.1%), with a mean age of 69.4 years and median time since MCL diagnosis of 18.0 months. The most common initial symptom was painless swelling in the neck, armpit, stomach, or groin (72%). Overall, patients had a "complete response" to 1 L (32/67 [47.8%]) therapy and "partial response" to 2 L (24/45 [53.3%]) therapy. Side effects were less commonly reported with BTKi than with chemotherapy. The most important physician-perceived treatment goal was to "minimize impact on patient's daily life" or "tumor response" for patients receiving BTKi or chemotherapy, respectively. Patients' disease was generally well-managed by their physicians; however, improvements in efficacy, safety, and quality of life are still needed.