The Role of Radiotherapy in Advanced Follicular Lymphoma

In 'The Role of Radiotherapy in Advanced Follicular Lymphoma,' Christina Poh, MD delves into the following critical questions:

One trial reports a PFS benefit (88.9% versus 66.7% at 5 years) and an OS advantage for IFRT plus rituximab maintenance in stage III FL. How do you interpret these findings, and does this data meaningfully challenge the conventional assumption that radiotherapy is primarily a tool for early-stage disease?

In an era where bispecific antibodies and other novel agents are emerging as effective options with outpatient administration, how do you think radiation oncology and medical oncology should be collaborating to determine which patients are best suited for a consolidative radiotherapy approach?

Christina Poh discussed how the trial data reporting a PFS benefit of 88.9% versus 66.7% at 5 years and an OS advantage for IFRT plus rituximab maintenance in stage III follicular lymphoma does not entirely overturn the conventional view of radiation as a primarily early-stage tool, but does meaningfully challenge the assumption that radiotherapy has no role in advanced-stage disease while noting that additional studies are needed to confirm these findings and to evaluate radiation's role in combination with systemic therapies beyond rituximab. She also emphasized that multidisciplinary collaboration between radiation oncologists and medical oncologists should be the standard of care for all lymphoma patients and that this collaborative framework is essential for thoughtfully identifying which patients are most appropriate candidates for a consolidative radiotherapy approach.

Throughout the conversation, the experts provide a comprehensive reflection on the field and the factors that may shape how clinicians approach care moving forward.

The next episode in this series, 'Contextualizing Golcadomide's Efficacy Signal in the RRFL Landscape,' features Christina Poh advancing her conversation on follicular lymphoma and focusing on the impressive early phase efficacy data for golcadomide, the durability of responses observed, and the meaningful role that oral treatment convenience plays in treatment selection for patients managing a chronic, relapsing disease.