What the trial was testing
The trial enrolled 80 patients with lymphoma. The study was sponsored by Novartis Pharmaceuticals and tracked outcomes across the full group of patients who matched the trial's eligibility profile.
It was initial testing (phase 2). Trials at this stage are designed to produce evidence regulators and physicians can act on — not just observations to follow up later.
What the results showed
81% of young leukemia patients had no detectable cancer after one treatment.
The New England journal of medicine · 2018 · NCT02435849
These findings — that patients had no detectable cancer within three months after one treatment — were published in the The New England journal of medicine and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 80 patients enrolled in the trial. The result was consistent enough across the group that the team felt confident reporting it.
What this means for patients
For patients with lymphoma, this result changes the calculus on what to ask their care team about. Whether it changes day-to-day care depends on factors like disease subtype, prior treatments, and where the patient is in their care journey.
What you can do now
Tisagenlecleucel (also called Kymriah) is now FDA-approved for children and young adults with this type of leukemia when other treatments haven't worked. It requires a hospital stay because side effects can be serious but are usually temporary. Ask your doctor if this treatment is right for you.
Eligibility for the treatments mentioned above depends on specific test results and clinical history. Bring this summary, the trial name, and your most recent labs or pathology report to your next visit.
Open lymphoma trials
A Study to Investigate Ronde-cel Versus Investigator's Choice CD19 CAR T-Cell Therapy
This Phase 3 study compares rondecabtagene autoleucel (ronde-cel), a dual-targeting CD19/CD20 CAR T-cell therapy, with investigator's choice of CD19 CAR T-cell therapy in patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma in the second-line setting.
VMD-928 Monotherapy and in Combination With Pembrolizumab to Treat TrkA Overexpression Driven Solid Tumors or Lymphoma
This is a multicenter, open-label, Phase 1/2 study of orally administered VMD-928 monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab in adult subjects with advanced solid tumors or lymphoma that have progressed or are non responsive to available therapies and for which no standard or available curative therapy exists