Purpose of review: Richter's transformation (RT) occurs when chronic (CLL) transforms into an aggressive lymphoma. Despite improvements in the treatment of CLL, prognosis for RT remains poor. Here, we review current literature of RT, with a focus on novel treatment options.
Recent findings: Efforts are underway to improve outcomes for patients with RT. While small molecule inhibitors have limited efficacy as monotherapy, recent developments combining them with chemo-immunotherapy show promise. Studies exploring the use of cellular therapies including chimeric antigen receptor T-cells and bispecific antibodies are ongoing. The current treatment paradigm for RT is to enroll these patients on a clinical trial when available, together with consultation for a consolidative allogeneic stem cell transplant. Trials investigating novel combinations and cellular therapy are ongoing. Determining predictive variables of transformation is imperative to design studies that allow for early identification and intervention for patients with RT.
Keywords: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia; Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; Hodgkin lymphoma; Richter’s transformation; Transformation.
© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.