A new treatment combination has delivered encouraging results for people newly diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In the Phase 3 EPCORE DLBCL-2 trial, the bispecific antibody epcoritamab (Epkinly) was added to standard R-CHOP chemotherapy, reducing the risk of disease progression or death by 51% compared with R-CHOP alone in patients with higher-risk disease. Epcoritamab works by bringing cancer-fighting T cells into close contact with CD20-positive lymphoma cells, helping the immune system attack the tumour more effectively. The combination was generally well tolerated and produced a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival, prompting the study’s independent monitoring committee to recommend that the trial be unblinded early. Although the regimen is not yet approved as a first-line treatment for newly diagnosed DLBCL, AbbVie and Genmab say they plan to discuss the results with regulators, raising the possibility that the combination could eventually become an important new frontline option for patients with this aggressive blood cancer.
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