Dr. Lorenzo Falchi specializes in treating lymphoma and developing new treatments for this blood cancer.
There is encouraging news about using a blood test to determine which patients with aggressive large B cell lymphoma were most likely to benefit from having the drug glofitamab (Columvi™) added to their treatment.
Results from a phase 2 clinical trial (research study) were reported at the 2023 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting by lymphoma specialist Lorenzo Falchi, MD, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK).
“This was a feasibility study to determine whether these kinds of blood tests, sometimes called liquid biopsies, could prove valuable in guiding treatment,” Dr. Falchi explains. The tests look for presence of cancer DNA — also known as circulating tumor DNA — remaining in the bloodstream after treatment, which suggests that patients are more likely to have their disease come back.
Glofitamab for Large B Cell Lymphoma Clinical Trial Results
Glofitamab is a type of drug called a bispecific antibody. It is currently approved for treating large B cell lymphoma that is resistant to other treatments. Researchers found that glofitamab should be considered earlier in the course of treatment for patients whose large B cell lymphoma is more aggressive.
Of the 29 patients who received glofitamab in addition to chemotherapy, 85% had a complete response: Their cancer was eliminated.
Side Effects of Glofitamab for Large B Cell Lymphoma Were Less Than Expected
“The incidence of cytokine release syndrome was much lower than what we normally see with glofitamab. We think that might be because patients got chemotherapy first,” Dr. Falchi says. “This is a promising finding that we hope to continue studying.”