German Low Grade Lymphoma Study Group (GLSG)

Background, duties and aims

The German Low Grade Lymphoma Study Group (GLSG) was founded in 1988 with the support of the German cancer foundation (Deutsche Krebshilfe). Since then three large prospective, randomized study generations evaluating the induction therapy of indolent lymphoma (follicular, lymphoplasmocytic and marginal zone lymphoma) and (aggressive) mantle cell lymphoma were performed. Altogether more than 2000 patients whose clinical course is regularly updated have been treated in these therapy studies. The results of these studies lead to important advances in the establishment of the new standards in the general clinical care of patients with indolent and mantle cell lymphoma. Currently, more than 400 clinical institutions throughout Germany and the European neighbor states participate in the therapy studies of the GLSG. About 20 % of the participating clinical centers are university institutions and 80 % are municipal hospitals or practitioners again emphasizing the role of therapy optimizing studies for the quality control of the general health system. As a member of the Competence Network Malignant Lymphomas the GLSG is significantly involved in the establishment of systematic studies (Reisenburg-Konsensus), to define the basic molecular and biological risk factors of malignant lymphoma in close collaboration with the recently etablished European research network "Molecular Risk Factors in Mantle Cell Lymphoma". Aim, of the future study activities of the GLSG is not only the developement and evaluation of further innovative therapy strategies, but also the individual, risk adapted therapy in close collaboration with practitioners, oncologists, municipal hospitals and university institutions.

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