Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common aggressive blood cancer in adults. Standard chemotherapy cures roughly 60–70% of patients, but those who relapse or don't respond have historically had poor outcomes — a gap that CAR-T cell therapy has begun to close.
What's actually going on in research
CAR-T cell therapy targeting CD19 has become standard for second-line relapsed DLBCL and is now moving into first-line treatment for high-risk patients. Bispecific antibodies that redirect T-cells to kill CD20-positive lymphoma cells are showing strong responses as off-the-shelf alternatives. The molecular subtypes of DLBCL — GCB vs. ABC — respond differently to treatment, and subtype-directed trials are testing PI3K delta inhibitors, BTK inhibitors, and BCL-2 inhibitors for the harder-to-treat ABC subtype.
CAR-T cell therapy
Engineered T-cells targeting CD19 on DLBCL cells achieve durable remissions in relapsed patients and are moving into earlier lines of treatment for high-risk newly diagnosed disease.
Bispecific antibodies
Off-the-shelf T-cell engaging antibodies like epcoritamab and glofitamab bind both CD20 on lymphoma and CD3 on T-cells, producing responses without the need for cell manufacturing.
Subtype-directed therapy
The ABC subtype of DLBCL is more resistant to standard therapy; BTK inhibitors and BCL-2 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy are being tested specifically in this molecular subtype.
What to know before you search
Eligibility depends on DLBCL cell-of-origin subtype, IPI risk score, prior treatment history, and CD19 expression for CAR-T trials.
What types of trials are currently open
- Treatment trials — Testing new drug combinations, immunotherapy, or cell therapy for newly diagnosed or relapsed DLBCL.
- CAR-T trials — Evaluating CAR-T cell therapy in second-line and earlier settings, and novel CAR constructs.
- Consolidation trials — Testing whether stem cell transplant or maintenance therapy after remission improves outcomes.
- Elderly patient trials — Developing tolerable regimens for older adults who cannot receive full-dose immunochemotherapy.
- Biomarker trials — Using cell-of-origin and molecular profiling to match patients to targeted treatments.
Recently added Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma trials
Take a new drug combination to treat untreated B-cell lymphoma
This is a prospective, open-label, single-arm, single-center, Phase II clinical study designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Efficacy and Safety of Polatuzumab Vedotin in Combination With Zanubrutinib, Rituximab, Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, and Prednisone in Patients With Previously Untreated Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma of the MCD/BN2/N1 Subtypes. After successful screening, enrolled patients will receive 6 treatment cycles (21 days per cycle). Disease response will be assessed by CT/PET-CT during treatment and after completion of induction. Patients who achieve CR/PR/SD will proceed to the maintenance phase; patients who do not achieve at least SD (i.e., fail to reach CR/PR/SD) during induction will discontinue the study. Patients with CR/PR/SD after induction will receive maintenance therapy with zanubrutinib plus tislelizumab until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or completion of 1 year of maintenance. Efficacy and safety assessments will be performed per protocol. Tumor response will be assessed by site investigators according to the 2014 Lugano criteria, including determination of response status, date of response, and date of progression/relapse.
Receive an infusion of new cells to fight lymphoma
This study is a single arm, open label, dose exploring clinical study to evaluate the safety, efficacy, metabolic kinetics and pharmacodynamics of CT1182 cells in patients with relapsed / refractory B-cell non Hodgkin lymphoma (r/r B-NHL).
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