Spotlight on fatal mantle cell lymphoma
MCL is a rare and very aggressive subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs), with a median survival of three years. Currently there is a lack in treatment schemes and early prognosis, highlighting the urgent need for more studies on the aetiology of this disease. The clinical and molecular characteristics of malignancy and progression in MCL have been investigated by a European-wide network. The consortium consisted of a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, pathologists and basic researchers. As a continuation of this effort, the EU-funded project European MCL Network adopted a global approach to study novel treatment strategies and evaluate new prognostic biomarkers. The European MCL Network stepped up research on recently established molecular techniques, such as comparative genomic hybridisation (CGH), real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR), transcriptomics and proteomics. A large number of selected patient samples was successfully collected and analysed, allowing the evaluation of minimal residual disease (MRD). Transcriptomics and proteomics studies provided significant insights into the affected molecular mechanisms in MCL. The findings highlighted the need for targeted individualised therapeutic strategies based on the molecular profile of each patient. The European MCL Network has laid the groundwork for the effective detection of early biomarkers and potent drug targets.
