In the primary analysis of the phase III ZUMA-7 trial, examining second-line therapy for relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma, the CAR T-cell therapy axicabtagene ciloleucel led to a fourfold increase in event-free survival over the standard of care. These findings were presented at the Plenary Session of the 2021 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition.¹

In a phase I study reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, L. Elizabeth Budde, MD, PhD, and colleagues found that the CD20-CD3 bispecific antibody mosunetuzumab produced durable responses in patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive and indolent B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas. 

In the phase III POLARIX trial reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, Tilly et al found that polatuzumab vedotin-piiq plus R-CHP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone) significantly improved progression-free survival vs R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone) in patients with previously untreated intermediate- or high-risk diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

As reported in The New England Journal of Medicine by Bishop et al, the phase III BELINDA trial showed no improvement in event-free survival with second-line tisagenlecleucel vs standard of care including salvage chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with aggressive B-cell lymphoma.

As reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by Casasnovas et al, final results of the phase III AHL2011 Lymphoma Association Study showed continued similarity of progression-free and overall survival over long-term follow-up with positron-emission tomography (PET)-based de-escalation of chemotherapy vs standard treatment in previously untreated patients with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma. Interim PET findings were prognostic for outcomes in the entire patient population.