Watch and Wait or Worry and Wait in Indolent Lymphoma

Indolent lymphomas, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma, low-grade follicular lymphoma, and Waldenström macroglobulinemia, are slow-growing cancers often managed initially with a watchful waiting strategy. This approach avoids unnecessary side effects of early therapy but may negatively impact patients' quality of life (QoL) due to anxiety, uncertainty, and self-monitoring of symptoms. Previous research has suggested increased distress and greater QoL decline in patients under observation compared to those receiving treatment, despite similar or lower disease burden. Moreover, poor QoL has been shown to independently predict overall survival in non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients. However, there are limited data from Asian populations, where cultural factors, health insurance systems, and treatment access differ significantly. This study will evaluate the impact of watchful waiting on patient-reported QoL among Korean patients with indolent lymphoma, providing evidence specific to this population and healthcare setting.

NCT Number	NCT07173790
Lead Sponsor	Seoul National University Hospital Collaborators: Korea University Anam Hospital, Samsung Medical Center, Catholic Medical Center of Korea
Conditions	Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) / Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL), Marginal Zone Lymphoma(MZL), Follicular Lymphoma, Grade 1, Follicular Lymphoma, Grade 2, Waldenström Macroglobulinemia (WM), Lymphoplasmacytic Lymphoma
Enrollment	250 participants
Start Date	2025-10-01
Primary Completion	2027-09-10 (estimated)
Study Completion	2027-09-10 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2025-11-21