New Drugs for Follicular Lymphoma in Older Adults

Follicular lymphoma is essentially a disease of the elderly, and the aging of the population in developed countries will increase patient numbers in coming years. Significant achievements have been made for treatment, but better understanding of the disease and major progress in biology now facilitate the development of many new drugs, which may have improved toxicity profiles making them appropriate for treatment of older adults. However, the increasing number of treatment possibilities, can also increase the toxicity risks, and unexpected toxicities specific to older adults may be encountered. Consequently, specific studies of older patients should be considered, using appropriate evaluation tools such as comprehensive geriatric assessment. This review will described the development of these new drugs, in the context of the treatment of older-adults with follicular lymphoma.