Germinal Center Research

Home / Research / Treatment and trials

Research library

Treatment and trials

Treatment for both lymphomas has changed quickly. These papers report landmark trials of immunochemotherapy, chemotherapy-free combinations, targeted drugs, bispecific antibodies and CAR T-cell therapy. They describe published trial results only and are not treatment recommendations.

Not medical advice. These are short, plain-English summaries of published research, written for education. They are not treatment recommendations. Questions about an individual situation belong with a hematologist or oncologist.

  1. Epcoritamab, lenalidomide, and rituximab versus lenalidomide and rituximab for relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (EPCORE FL-1): a global, open-label, randomised, phase 3 trial

    Falchi L, Nijland M, et al. Lancet. 2026.

    This phase 3 trial randomized 488 patients with relapsed or refractory FL to epcoritamab plus lenalidomide and rituximab (R2) or R2 alone. The epcoritamab combination improved the response rate (95% vs 79%) and progression-free survival, with more grade 3 or higher adverse events.

  2. Five-Year Follow-Up Analysis of ZUMA-5: Axicabtagene Ciloleucel in Relapsed/Refractory Indolent Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

    Neelapu SS, Chavez JC, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2025.

    This update reports a median follow-up of about five years for 159 patients with relapsed or refractory indolent lymphoma, mostly FL, treated with axicabtagene ciloleucel. Median progression-free survival was 62.2 months, lymphoma progression after 30 months was rare, and late toxicities were infrequent.

  3. Glofitamab plus gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GemOx) versus rituximab-GemOx for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (STARGLO): a global phase 3, randomised, open-label trial

    Abramson JS, Ku M, et al. Lancet. 2024.

    This phase 3 trial randomized 274 transplant-ineligible patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL to glofitamab plus gemcitabine and oxaliplatin or rituximab plus the same chemotherapy. Overall survival was longer with the glofitamab combination (median 25.5 vs 12.9 months at the updated analysis), with more adverse events overall in that group.

  4. Epcoritamab, a Novel, Subcutaneous CD3xCD20 Bispecific T-Cell-Engaging Antibody, in Relapsed or Refractory Large B-Cell Lymphoma: Dose Expansion in a Phase I/II Trial

    Thieblemont C, Phillips T, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2023.

    In the dose-expansion part of a phase 1/2 trial, 157 heavily pretreated patients with large B-cell lymphoma received subcutaneous epcoritamab, a CD3 x CD20 bispecific antibody. The overall response rate was 63.1% and the complete response rate 38.9%, including in patients previously treated with CAR T cells.

  5. Glofitamab for Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

    Dickinson MJ, Carlo-Stella C, et al. N Engl J Med. 2022.

    In the phase 2 part of this study, 155 patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL after at least two prior lines of therapy received fixed-duration glofitamab, a bispecific antibody that engages T cells. A complete response occurred in 39%, including patients previously treated with CAR T cells, and cytokine release syndrome was the most common adverse event.

  6. Safety and efficacy of mosunetuzumab, a bispecific antibody, in patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma: a single-arm, multicentre, phase 2 study

    Budde LE, Sehn LH, et al. Lancet Oncol. 2022.

    This phase 2 study gave fixed-duration mosunetuzumab, a CD20 x CD3 bispecific antibody, to 90 patients with FL after two or more prior therapies. Independent review recorded complete responses in 60%, and cytokine release syndrome, mostly low grade, occurred in 44%.

  7. Polatuzumab Vedotin in Previously Untreated Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

    Tilly H, Morschhauser F, et al. N Engl J Med. 2022.

    This phase 3 trial compared pola-R-CHP, in which the antibody-drug conjugate polatuzumab vedotin replaces vincristine, with standard R-CHOP in 879 patients with previously untreated intermediate- or high-risk DLBCL. Progression-free survival at 2 years was higher with pola-R-CHP (76.7% vs 70.2%), while overall survival did not differ significantly.

  8. Axicabtagene Ciloleucel as Second-Line Therapy for Large B-Cell Lymphoma

    Locke FL, Miklos DB, et al. N Engl J Med. 2022.

    In this phase 3 trial, 359 patients with large B-cell lymphoma that was refractory to or relapsed within 12 months of first-line therapy received axicabtagene ciloleucel, a CD19 CAR T-cell therapy, or standard chemotherapy followed by transplant. Event-free survival was longer with axicabtagene ciloleucel (24-month rate 41% vs 16%), with the high-grade side effects expected for this therapy.

  9. Tazemetostat for patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma: an open-label, single-arm, multicentre, phase 2 trial

    Morschhauser F, Tilly H, et al. Lancet Oncol. 2020.

    In this phase 2 trial of the oral EZH2 inhibitor tazemetostat in relapsed or refractory FL, 69% of patients with EZH2-mutant tumors and 35% of those with EZH2 wild-type tumors had an objective response. Serious treatment-related adverse events were reported in 4% of the 99 patients.

  10. Rituximab plus Lenalidomide in Advanced Untreated Follicular Lymphoma

    Morschhauser F, Fowler NH, et al. N Engl J Med. 2018.

    This phase 3 trial randomized 1,030 patients with previously untreated FL to rituximab plus lenalidomide or rituximab plus chemotherapy, both followed by rituximab maintenance. Efficacy results were similar between the groups, while side effects differed, with more neutropenia after chemotherapy and more skin reactions with lenalidomide.

10 papers, newest first. Titles, authors, journals, years and DOIs were checked against PubMed on 2026-10-20. Back to the Research library.