The traditional "germinal center" (GC) classification for DLBCL is overly simplistic. Molecular analysis reveals distinct subtypes within GC, such as "dark zone" and "light zone" signatures, which have different prognoses and responses to targeted therapies like polatuzumab.

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A patient with a history of DLBCL presenting with a relapse confined to the skin without lymphadenopathy should raise suspicion. This presentation "smells a lot like Marginal Zone Lymphoma," a less aggressive cancer that may be managed differently, highlighting the need to question histology in atypical relapses.

Non-covalent BTK inhibitors like pirtobrutinib are currently approved for use after covalent BTK inhibitors fail. Moving them to the frontline setting, as studied in BRUIN-313, disrupts the established treatment pathway and creates uncertainty for managing relapsed disease, as the standard 'next step' is removed.

In follicular lymphoma, the treatment goal is durable remission with manageable toxicity, not necessarily a cure. Therefore, clinicians frequently prefer using a bispecific antibody first, reserving the more complex and toxic CAR-T cell therapy for transformed disease or after a bispecific fails.

Unlike some targeted therapies that lead to antigen loss, treatment with the CD19-directed antibody tafasitamab does not appear to eliminate CD19 expression on lymphoma cells. This is a critical finding, as it preserves the target for subsequent potent therapies like CD19-directed CAR T-cells.

An individual tumor can have hundreds of unique mutations, making it impossible to predict treatment response from a single genetic marker. This molecular chaos necessitates functional tests that measure a drug's actual effect on the patient's cells to determine the best therapy.

Treating 'non-clear cell' kidney cancer as a single entity is a major research limitation. Experts argue that distinct histologies like papillary and chromophobe are different diseases. Future progress requires dedicated, international trials for each subtype rather than grouping them due to rarity.

Experts believe molecular tests like Decipher and PTEN status are superior to simply counting bone lesions for guiding treatment. While not yet standard practice for all decisions, this represents a significant shift towards using underlying tumor biology to determine therapy, like adding docetaxel.

Despite new therapies for follicular lymphoma (FL), bendamustine-rituximab (BR) will likely remain the community standard due to its simplicity. This may create a growing gap in treatment approaches between academic centers using novel agents and community practices favoring the familiar BR regimen.

The interpretation of ctDNA is context-dependent. Unlike in the adjuvant setting, in the neoadjuvant setting, remaining ctDNA positive post-treatment signifies that the current therapy has failed. These high-risk patients need a different therapeutic approach, not an extension of the ineffective one.

The ECHELON-3 trial showed that brentuximab vedotin plus R-squared is effective in relapsed/refractory DLBCL, even in patients with negligible CD30 expression. This suggests the drug's benefit may stem from immune synergy or other mechanisms, not just direct CD30 targeting.

"Germinal Center" DLBCL is a Myth; Molecular Subtypes Dictate Treatment Benefit | RiffOn