First Results of Phase III OLYMPIA-3: Odronextamab Plus CHOP in Untreated DLBCL
The bispecific antibody odronextamab plus standard CHOP (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, prednisone) chemotherapy yielded robust and durable responses in treatment-naive patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), based on the first results of the phase III OLYMPIA-3 study...
CLL/SLL: FDA Approves Combination of Acalabrutinib and Venetoclax
On February 19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor acalabrutinib (Calquence) tablets and capsules in combination with the BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax (Venclexta) for adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma...
Epcoritamab Plus R2 in Follicular Lymphoma: A Potential New Treatment Standard
In patients with follicular lymphoma who received at least one prior line of therapy, the combination of the bispecific antibody epcoritamab-bysp and rituximab–lenalidomide (R2) reduced the risk of disease progression or death by almost 80% over R2 alone, based on the primary analysis of the phase...
Case 3: Management of Multiply Relapsed DLBCL
This is Part 3 of Personalizing Treatment Pathways in Relapsed/Refractory DLBCL, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Jeremy Abramson, J. Erika Haydu, and Jacob Soumerai discuss the treatment of multiply relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The patient is a 44-year-old man with stage IV, IPI 2, GCB-subtype, MYC/BCL2 double-hit lymphoma who achieved complete remission with front-line dose-adjusted EPOCH-R but relapsed at 18 months. As a young, transplant-eligible patient, he received R-DHAP with the goal of proceeding to autologous stem cell transplant. However, he progressed after two cycles with worsening hepatic dysfunction. In the conversation that follows, the faculty discuss age-based treatment selection for late relapse, the importance of monitoring for cytokine-release syndrome and immune effector cell–associated neurotoxicity, and treatment options after failure of CAR T-cell therapy—especially in the case of antigen loss.
Case 2: Second-Line Management of Relapsed DLBCL
This is Part 2 of Personalizing Treatment Pathways in Relapsed/Refractory DLBCL, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Jeremy Abramson, J. Erika Haydu, and Jacob Soumerai discuss the second-line treatment of relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The patient is a 74-year-old woman with stage IV, IPI 4, non-GCB subtype DLBCL who achieved complete remission with front-line Pola-R-CHP (polatuzumab vedotin plus rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone) but relapsed 9 months later with symptomatic peritoneal lymphomatosis. Despite being 75 years old at relapse, she is considered eligible for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, but she faces barriers to accessing this treatment and is interested in other options. In the conversation that follows, the faculty discuss CAR T-cell therapy eligibility in older patients, second-line treatment options for patients without CAR-T access, and treatment sequencing considerations.
Case 1: Management of Early Relapsed DLBCL
This is Part 1 of Personalizing Treatment Pathways in Relapsed/Refractory DLBCL, a three-part video roundtable series. Scroll down to watch the other videos from this roundtable. In this video, Drs. Jeremy Abramson, J. Erika Haydu, and Jacob Soumerai discuss the treatment of early relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. The patient is a 64-year-old woman with stage III, IPI 3, GCB-subtype DLBCL who developed primary refractory disease after R-CHOP therapy, with mixed/progressive findings on interim PET/CT after three cycles. Despite being relatively asymptomatic with an ECOG performance status of 1, confirmatory biopsy demonstrated persistent GCB DLBCL. In the conversation that follows, the faculty discuss the use of CAR T-cell therapy in the second-line treatment of DLBCL, bridging therapy considerations, and the management of cytokine-release syndrome.
Pirtobrutinib Improves Progression-Free Survival vs Bendamustine/Rituximab in Front-Line CLL/SLL
The first prospective, randomized phase III trial of a noncovalent Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor exclusively in treatment-naive patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)/small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL)—BRUIN CLL-313—demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically...
Phased Variant ctDNA as Biomarker After First-Line Treatment in LBCL
In a study (DIRECT) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Krupka et al found that phased variant (PV) ctDNA provided “sensitive and clinically meaningful response assessment” after first-line treatment of large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). As stated by the investigators, “Tracking tumor-specific ...
Nivolumab Plus AVD Reduces Disease Progression Risk in Adolescents With Advanced Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma
A combination of nivolumab with AVD chemotherapy (doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine) demonstrated a significant reduction in the risk of disease progression or death compared with brentuximab vedotin plus AVD in adolescent patients with newly diagnosed advanced classical Hodgkin lymphoma,...
Refractory LBCL: CD19-Targeting CAR T-Cell Therapy Plus Rituximab
A dual-antigen targeting combination of the CD19-targeting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy axicabtagene ciloleucel plus the CD20-targeting agent rituximab led to durable responses and reduced relapses in patients with refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL), according to findings...
Addition of Epcoritamab to Lenalidomide Plus Rituximab in Relapsed or Refractory Follicular Lymphoma
As reported in The Lancet by Falchi et al, an interim analysis of the phase III EPCORE FL-1 trial has shown that the addition of the bispecific antibody epcoritamab (for B-cell CD20 and T-cell CD3 antigens) to lenalidomide plus rituximab improved the objective response rate and progression-free...
Addition of Tafasitamab to Lenalidomide Plus Rituximab in Relapsed or Refractory Follicular Lymphoma
In a phase III trial (inMIND) reported in The Lancet, Sehn et al found that the addition of the CD19-targeted Fc-enhanced monoclonal antibody tafasitamab to lenalidomide plus rituximab improved progression-free survival in patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma. Study Details In...
Lymphocyte Kinetics After CAR T-Cell Infusion May Predict Survival Outcomes in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
A higher absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) after receipt of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy may be associated with improved progression-free and/or overall survival in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to findings from the 2025 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual...
FLIPI24: New Prognostic Model for Newly Diagnosed Follicular Lymphoma
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Maurer et al have developed FLIPI24, a modern prognostic model for newly diagnosed follicular lymphoma. As stated by the investigators, “Although most patients with … [follicular lymphoma] can expect an indolent course, progressive lymphoma remains...
Follicular Lymphoma: Durable Remissions and Sustained Safety With Third-Line Lisocabtagene Maraleucel
Patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma treated in the third-line setting with a single infusion of the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy lisocabtagene maraleucel continued to show responses after 3 years, according to long-term follow-up results from the TRANSCEND FL...
CD40 Overexpression Emerges as a Potential Biomarker for Angioimmunoblastic T-Cell Lymphoma
Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have identified CD40 overexpression as a potential prognostic biomarker in angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL), a rare subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that is difficult to diagnose and treat. The results of their study were...
Noninferiority Shown for Pirtobrutinib vs Ibrutinib in CLL/SLL
The noncovalent Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor pirtobrutinib achieved noninferiority to the covalent BTK inhibitor ibrutinib in terms of overall response rate in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), according to findings from a randomized...
Epcoritamab Added to Second-Line Lenalidomide/Rituximab Improves Responses in Follicular Lymphoma
When epcoritamab was added to lenalidomide and rituximab, response rates were significantly higher and progression-free survival was prolonged for patients with follicular lymphoma treated in the second-line setting or beyond, according to findings from the phase III EPCORE FL-1 trial presented at...
FDA Approves CAR T-Cell Therapy for Relapsed/Refractory Marginal Zone Lymphoma
On December 4, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy lisocabtagene maraleucel (Breyanzi) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory marginal zone lymphoma who have received at least two prior...
Tisagenlecleucel in Relapsed or Refractory Large B-Cell Lymphoma: 5-Year Outcomes From the JULIET Trial
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Maziarz et al, 5-year analysis of the pivotal phase II JULIET trial has shown maintained efficacy of tisagenlecleucel in patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma. Study Details In the trial, 115 patients received tisagenlecleucel...
FDA Approves Epcoritamab for Two Follicular Lymphoma Indications
On November 18, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved epcoritamab-bysp (Epkinly), a bispecific CD20-directed CD3 T-cell engager, in combination with lenalidomide and rituximab for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma. In addition, the FDA...
Immunotherapy Combination Active in Patients With Large B-Cell Lymphoma Who Are Not Eligible for Autologous Stem Cell Transplant
In the global phase III SUNMO trial, the combination of a bispecific antibody and an antibody-drug conjugate was compared with rituximab plus gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GemOx) in the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) who were ineligible for autologous...
Axicabtagene Ciloleucel in Relapsed or Refractory Indolent Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: 5-Year Follow-up of ZUMA-5
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Neelapu et al, the 5-year follow-up of the phase II ZUMA-5 trial has shown sustained responses with axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) in patients with relapsed or refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Study Details In the single-arm,...
My 50 Years in Lymphoma: Lessons Learned?
In the 50 years now since my fellowship training, there have been major advances in the diagnosis, staging, prognostic scoring, treatment, and response assessment of lymphomas. To conjure up the future, we must first appreciate the present by understanding how it arose from the past.1 So, a trip in ...
Glofitamab Plus Polatuzumab Vedotin in Relapsed or Refractory Large B-Cell Lymphoma
In a phase Ib/II trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Hutchings et al found that the combination of glofitamab and polatuzumab vedotin was associated with high activity in patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma, including high-grade B-cell lymphoma. Study Details...
Cognitive Function and Statin Administration During Doxorubicin-Based Cancer Treatment
Contrary to previous research, a preplanned secondary analysis of the multicenter PREVENT trial, reported by W.Gregory Hundley, MD, FACC, of Pauley Heart Center, Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, and colleagues in ...
Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma: Use of Durvalumab Alone or With Lenalidomide Under Study in Phase II Trial
In a randomized phase II trial, Christiane Querfeld, MD, PhD, and colleagues investigated the effects of a PD-L1–blocking strategy for targeting both the innate and adaptive immune systems in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). At the 2025 Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO) Annual Meeting,1 Dr....
Chemotherapy-Free Regimen vs Standard Immunochemotherapy in Mantle Cell Lymphoma in Older Patients
In a phase II/III study (ENRICH) reported in The Lancet, Lewis et al found that the chemotherapy-free combination of ibrutinib plus rituximab prolonged progression-free survival vs standard immunochemotherapy in patients aged 60 years or older with previously untreated mantle cell lymphoma. Study...
Combination Therapies for Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: 5-Year Outcomes of the POLARIX Trial
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Morschhauser et al, the 5-year findings of the POLARIX trial showed a continued benefit with polatuzumab vedotin plus rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone (Pola-R-CHP) vs rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine,...
EHA Publishes Guidelines for LBCL and Multiple Myeloma
The European Hematology Association (EHA) has published two new sets of clinical practice guidelines, including its first dedicated guidelines for large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL), which was published in HemaSphere, as well as an updated set of guidelines in collaboration with the European Myeloma...
Rare Secondary Cancer After CAR T-Cell Therapy Successfully Treated, Case Report Shows
In a case presentation published in The New England Journal of Medicine, targeted treatment was successful for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-positive peripheral T-cell lymphoma developed after CAR T-cell therapy for multiple myeloma. Using advanced genomic, phenotypic, and functional profiling...
Emerging PD-1 Inhibitor Plus Chemotherapy Shows Efficacy in Second-Line Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma
The addition of the PD-1 inhibitor sintilimab to ICE (ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide) chemotherapy appeared to significantly improve the complete remission rate and showed a trend toward improved progression-free survival in second-line classical Hodgkin lymphoma, according to Yuankai Shi,...
Tafasitamab Combined With Lenalidomide and Rituximab Improved Outcomes in Relapsed or Refractory Follicular Lymphoma
Adding tafasitamab-cxix, an anti-CD19 monoclonal antibody, to lenalidomide and rituximab significantly prolonged progression-free survival in patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma, according to data presented at the 2025 European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress.1 Results...
Fertility Outcomes in Patients of Childbearing Potential Receiving First-Line Therapy for Advanced Lymphoma
In an analysis reported in The Lancet Oncology, Ferdinandus et al found that among patients with newly diagnosed advanced-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma who were of childbearing potential (POCBP) in the phase III HD21 trial, those receiving BrECADD (brentuximab vedotin, etoposide,...
Outcomes Support CAR T-Cell Therapy Use in Elderly Patients With B-Cell Lymphomas
Patients in their 80s or older with B-cell lymphomas are able to receive chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy safely, results of a multicenter retrospective study published in Bone Marrow Transplantation showed. These patients are usually not eligible for clinical trials of CAR T-cell...
Lisocabtagene Maraleucel as Second-Line Therapy in Relapsed/Refractory Large B-Cell Lymphoma: 3-Year Follow-Up
As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Kamdar et al, the 3-year follow-up of the phase III TRANSFORM trial showed that lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) maintained superior efficacy vs standard of care (SOC) in second-line treatment of relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). ...
Nivolumab or Brentuximab Vedotin With AVD in Older Patients With Advanced Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma
In a subset analysis from the phase III SWOG S1826 trial reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Rutherford et al compared the survival outcomes of nivolumab plus AVD (doxorubicin, vinblastine, dacarbazine; N-AVD) vs brentuximab vedotin plus AVD (BV-AVD) in patients with advanced-stage...
Addition of Glofitamab to R-CHOP or Pola-R-CHP in Younger Patients With High-Risk LBCL
In an Australian phase II trial (COALITION) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Minson et al investigated the addition of glofitamab to R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) or Pola-R-CHP (polatuzumab vedotin, rituximab, cyclophosphamide,...
New Model Predicts Risk of Progression in Early-Stage Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma
The first individualized risk prediction model for adults with early-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) has been developed and validated. According to a report published in NEJM Evidence, the Early-Stage cHL International Prognostic Index (E-HIPI) model estimates 2-year progression-free...
Tafasitamab Plus Lenalidomide and Rituximab Significantly Improves Outcomes in Relapsed/Refractory Follicular Lymphoma
Adding tafasitamab-cxix, an anti-CD19 monoclonal antibody, to lenalidomide and rituximab significantly prolonged progression-free survival in patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma, according to data presented at the European Hematology Association (EHA) 2025 Congress (Abstract...
Polatuzumab Vedotin–Based Regimen Improves Overall Survival in Refractory DLBCL
Combining the CD79b-directed antibody-drug conjugate polatuzumab vedotin-piiq with rituximab, gemcitabine, and oxaliplatin (R-GemOx) significantly improved survival outcomes in patients with transplant-ineligible, relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), over standard rituximab ...
FDA Approves CD19-Directed Antibody–Based Regimen for Follicular Lymphoma
On June 18, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved tafasitamab-cxix (Monjuvi), a CD19-directed cytolytic antibody, with lenalidomide and rituximab for adults with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma. inMIND Trial Efficacy was evaluated in inMIND (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier...
Study Identifies Key LBCL Traits Tied to Greatest Benefit From CD19 CAR T-Cell Therapy
In the largest study of its kind, researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have identified three subgroups of patients with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) who have different levels of benefit from CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy. In the study,...
Noncovalent BTK Inhibitor in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia/Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma
In a phase III trial (BRUIN CLL-321) reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Sharman et al compared treatment outcomes with the noncovalent Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor pirtobrutinib vs investigator choice of idelalisib/rituximab (IdelaR) or bendamustine/rituximab (BR) in patients ...
BRCA Mutations Could Increase Risk of Rare Lymphoma Among Women Who Received Textured Breast Implants During Breast Cancer Treatment
The risk of developing breast implant–associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) could be higher among women with breast cancer and BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations who received textured breast implants as part of their postmastectomy reconstructive surgery compared with patients lacking the genetic...
Enhanced CAR T-Cell Therapy for Lymphoma After Previous Failure on CAR T-Cell Therapy
In a single-center phase I trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Svoboda et al assessed the safety, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of an enhanced chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy (huCART19-IL18) in patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoma after previous...
Recent Advances in Treating Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
The disease we now call diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has gone by the names of reticulum cell sarcoma, diffuse histiocytic lymphoma, and diffuse large cell lymphoma, and included both lymphomas of B cells and T cells. We now know DLBCL is still heterogenous and some subtypes might benefit...
NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: 2025 Updates
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) released its first set of Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) in 1996, covering eight tumor types. Today, guidelines are available for more than 60 tumor types, subtypes, and related topics. During the NCCN’s 30th Annual...
HIV-Related Structural Barriers in Cancer Care
Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are less likely to receive potentially life-saving cancer treatment if they reside in communities with lower income levels and educational attainment, according to a recent study published by Islam et al in Cancer. Study Methods and Results...
New Treatment Approach Could Enhance Care for Aggressive Relapsed/Refractory T- and NK-Cell Lymphomas
Investigators have uncovered how a specific sequence of cancer therapies could improve outcomes among patients with relapsed/refractory mature T- and natural killer (NK)-cell lymphomas, according to a recent study published by Sorial et al in the British Journal of Haematology. Background...
