Editor’s Note:
From June 13-17, 2023, the biennial international lymphoma academic event – the 17th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML) was held in Lugano. As the world’s largest international conference on malignant lymphoma, ICML attracts widespread attention from lymphoma experts and scholars both domestically and abroad. In our interview with the conference chair, Dr. Franco Cavalli, he highlighted the main aspects of the ICML conference, discussed the significance of the joint session between the Union of Chinese Clinical Oncology Lymphoma Alliance (UCLI) and ICML, and provided insights into the future collaboration between the International Extranodal Lymphoma Study Group (IELSG) and UCLI.
Oncology Frontier : Could you please brief us on the hot spots and highlights of this ICML congress?
Dr. Cavalli: I believe there are two primary areas of interest from this congress. First is related to Hodgkin lymphoma. At least three significant clinical trials show that, compared to the previous cure rate of 80% to 85%, we are now approaching a cure rate of nearly 95% for Hodgkin lymphoma. This implies that in the near future, Hodgkin lymphoma might be entirely curable. Additionally, in non-Hodgkin lymphoma, studies suggest primary mediastinal lymphoma patients can avoid radiotherapy, meaningful for this prevalent disease among young individuals. The most exciting developments in both areas are the novel CAR-T cell therapies. The conference introduced the fourth generation of CAR-T cells, which seem more active and less toxic than their predecessors. I anticipate that CAR-T cell therapy will soon become frontline treatment, at least for high-risk patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
The second highlight involves extensive research data on bispecific monoclonal antibodies in the treatment of all non-Hodgkin lymphoma subtypes. I’m confident that these antibodies will soon become the primary treatment method for all non-Hodgkin lymphoma subtypes, including T-cell lymphoma.
Oncology Frontier : We noticed that the UCLI-ICML joint session was also held this year, primarily discussing the latest lymphoma research in China and Europe. This session marks its fourth occurrence. Could you elaborate on the significance of this session?
Dr. Cavalli :In past meetings, the focus was on the treatment results of T-cell and NKT cell lymphoma in the Far East. This time, we shifted our attention to epidemiological data related to China. Indeed, China’s importance in lymphoma research is becoming increasingly evident. This prominence is not solely because of certain lymphoma subtypes unique to China that are rare in Western nations, but also due to China’s active participation in clinical trials for new drugs. At the Lugano conference, nearly 15% of abstracts submitted to ICML came from Chinese scholars, underscoring China’s significance in clinical research and the development of new lymphoma treatments.
Oncology Frontier : What kind of collaboration will IELSG and UCLI undertake in the future?
Dr. Cavalli: Cooperation with China has always been vital for the International Extranodal Lymphoma Study Group (IELSG), and its importance might grow in the future. One reason is our focus on marginal zone lymphomas, which are notably more common in China than follicular lymphomas. Therefore, IELSG is keenly interested in collaborating with China. Additionally, we’ve secured resources from the Swiss government to strengthen this cooperation. We’re currently sponsoring a trial on nasal NK/T cell lymphomas in Shanghai, assessing the combined efficacy of checkpoint inhibitors with radiotherapy. We aim to broaden this research and prepare for future clinical studies in China. To this end, we held discussions at the Lugano conference with leading Chinese oncology-hematology professors, aiming for more intensive collaboration in the future.
Furthermore, from a laboratory research perspective, our goal is to compare the biology of Chinese lymphomas with that of Western lymphomas. While we recognize differences exist, the exact biological discrepancies remain unidentified. Hence, fostering close ties between our laboratories and Chinese labs is crucial to perform consistent evaluations on identical samples. This collaboration might eventually reveal molecular biology and immunology differences between Chinese and European lymphomas.
TAG: ICML 2023, Interview, Hematological Malignancy, Lymphoma
