This inspiring session, which took place on Thursday, September 26th, provided the audience with valuable expert discussion and patient perspectives, with the chance to connect with the follicular lymphoma community.
Open to everyone, the webinar was particularly beneficial for patients, families, and caregivers. It catered to those wondering what to look out for if their FL returns, facing the challenges of a relapse, and aiming to empower their patient journey while making tough decisions.
Webinar series:
This webinar is part of the FLF’s ongoing series, with webinars held every other month. To learn more about our upcoming webinars, click here, and register your interest today to stay informed about these engaging and informative events.
The expert panel:
The webinar featured a distinguished panel of speakers, including Dr. Mitchell Smith, the Chief Medical Officer of FLF, who brought his extensive experience in leading lymphoma programs and treating patients to discuss the management of FL relapses. Dr. Philippe Armand, Chief of the Division of Lymphoma at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a renowned Harvard professor, shared his expertise on recognizing relapse and the latest treatment options available. Additionally, Andrew McAslan, diagnosed with follicular lymphoma in 2021 at the age of 25, provided an inspiring perspective by sharing his personal journey through treatment, relapse, and his experience of balancing life on “watch and wait” alongside his family life and competitive sports.
Key highlights:
• Understanding why relapse happens and exploring treatment options
• Learning to spot the signs of relapse and the importance of regular monitoring
• Discovering the latest therapies available
• Hearing from a patient who’s been through it and thrived
• Getting your questions answered by world-renowned oncologists
Watch full webinar below:
[Disclaimer: This video is intended for educational and disease awareness purposes only and the information presented and discussed does not constitute medical advice.]
Your Questions:
We were thrilled by the high level of engagement and the number of insightful questions from our audience. The panel addressed as many popular topics and answered as many questions as possible within the available time. If your anonymous question wasn’t addressed during the webinar, rest assured that we are working to cover these topics and will continue to publish articles to provide further answers.
Participate in our patient survey until 7th October 24
As Dr Mitchell Smith mentioned, if you are interested to share your experience living with FL, please participate in our short, anonymous survey on treatment preferences. Your input will play a vital role in shaping discussions at the upcoming American Society of Haematology (ASH) conference—the largest event focused on blood cancer research globally. Help to highlight the challenges faced by patients and guide future care improvements. Open until 7th October 2024.
👉 Take the survey here
If you’re unsure about any of the terms and treatments discussed, please visit our glossary.
Your input matters
We value your suggestions, feedback, and topic requests for future webinars. If there’s a specific aspect of follicular lymphoma you’d like us to cover, or any other input you’d like to share, please complete this form.
We are committed to continuously improving our webinars based on your needs and interests.
Dr Mitchell Smith – Chief Medical Officer, Follicular Lymphoma Foundation
Dr Mitchell Smith has an extensive educational background, having earned his Medical Degree and PhD from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, OH. He has also completed several residencies and fellowships, including a Fellowship in Medical Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in NY. Dr Smith’s career has also spanned many years and institutions, including serving as Director of the Lymphoma Program at Fox Chase Cancer Centre and Director of the Lymphoid Malignancy Program at the Cleveland Clinic.
Dr Philippe Armand, Chief, Division of Lymphoma, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Philippe Armand obtained his MD and PhD from the University of California San Francisco. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in 2004, and a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) in 2007. Since then, he has worked in the Department of Medical Oncology at DFCI. He is currently a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, the Harold and Virginia Lash/David Lash Chair in Lymphoma Research, and the Chief of the Division of Lymphoma. His clinical practice is focused on patients with lymphoma. His research interests center on the development of novel therapeutics and assays in lymphoma, with a key focus on the translation of local laboratory research to novel clinical trials.
Andrew McAslan- Diagnosed with FL in 2021
In 2021, Andrew was diagnosed with Stage 4 Follicular Lymphoma at only 25 years old. At the time, he was involved in competitive sport training as an 800m track athlete, so the news came as a huge shock and turned his life upside down. He immediately started a course of Bendamustine and Rituximab treatment, which resulted in a complete response and no evidence of disease. Unfortunately, this remission was short-lived, and he relapsed at the end of 2022. Since then, Andrew has been on ‘Watch and Wait,’ with the progression of the disease being closely monitored. It is expected that he will need his next line of treatment in the next 6 months to 1 year.
Andrew’s experience with follicular lymphoma was initially very treatment and recovery focused, but the majority of his journey has been about life after treatment or living with relapsed follicular lymphoma. For Andrew and his family, this has been an incredibly turbulent period, dealing with the uncertainty of when his condition will decline and when treatment will be required. As someone with a young family, early in his career, and with ambitions of returning to elite sport, this stage of the disease has presented a number of challenges.
This webinar series is supported by an educational grant from Genmab US, Inc and AbbVie and sponsorship from BeiGene USA, Inc., Novartis and Kite Gilead. All of the above have had no influence on, control of, nor input into the development or performance of the webinar series.
