Preface – ASH 2020 Heinz Ludwig, MD, Director of the Wilhelminen Cancer Research Institute, Department of Medicine I, Center for Oncology, Hematology and Palliative Care, Wilhelminen Hospital, Vienna, Austria Dear Colleagues, The ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition is the premier event for presentation of novel data on malignant and non-malignant hematologic diseases, attracting up to 30,000 specialists from all over the world.

What is new in Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia? Constitutive activation of the Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) pathway has been shown to induce malignant cell survival in patients with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM) [1, 2].

Management of CLL patients: BTK inhibition and beyond BTK inhibitors, the Bcl-2 inhibitor venetoclax and anti-CD20 antibodies such as obinutuzumab have dramatically changed the therapeutic landscape of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).

Insights from early clinical trials on targeted treatment in B-cell malignancies DTRM-555: fixed-dose combination Richter’s transformation (RT), which describes transformation of CLL/SLL to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) or Hodgkin lymphoma, is a rare event occurring in approximately 5–7 % of CLL cases [1].

Approaching marginal zone lymphoma from various angles Approximately 10 % of Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are classified as marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) [1].

Advancing treatment in patients with mantle cell lymphoma Update on acalabrutinib monotherapy High relapse rates after standard-of-care regimens in the frontline setting are typical of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), which is an aggressive, rare, B-cell Non-Hodgkin lymphoma [1-4].

Finding the way among a multitude of targets and regimens Stephen Opat, MD,  School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia Under which conditions might patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia achieve long-term treatment-free remission?

PD-1 inhibition and (Non-)Hodgkin lymphoma: promising outcomes in an emerging field Nivolumab plus BV for MGZL treatment Mediastinal gray zone lymphoma (MGZL) is an extremely rare type of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma with a predominance in young men [1].

Bone marrow microenvironment: culprit and target  Jorge J. Castillo, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, USA Apart from factors such as genetic events that contribute to the malignant transformation in Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM), the bone marrow microenvironment has been identified as a crucial player in WM disease progression [1].