Ibrutinib in B-cell lymphoma: single fighter might be enough?

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the B cell receptor (BCR) signaling pathway has become a “hot point” because it plays a critical role in B-cell proliferation and function. Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) is overexpressed in many subtypes of B-cell lymphoma as a downstream kinase in the BCR signaling pathway. Ibrutinib, the first generation of BTK inhibitor, has shown excellent antitumor activity in both indolent and aggressive B-cell lymphoma. MAIN BODY: Ibrutinib monotherapy has been confirmed to be effective with a high response rate (RR) and well-tolerated in many B-cell lymphoma subgroups. To achieve much deeper and faster remission, combination strategies contained ibrutinib were conducted to evaluate their synergistic anti-tumor effect. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with indolent B-cell lymphoma, most of them respond well with ibrutinib monotherapy. Combination strategies contained ibrutinib might be a better choice to achieve deeper and faster remission in the treatment of aggressive subtypes of B-cell lymphoma. Further investigations on the long-term efficacy and safety of the ibrutinib will provide novel strategies for individualized treatment of B-cell lymphoma.