What the trial was testing
The ZUMA-5 enrolled 159 patients with lymphoma. The study was sponsored by Kite, A Gilead Company 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
74% of patients with relapsed lymphoma achieved complete remission after a single infusion.
The Lancet. Oncology · 2022 · NCT03105336
These findings — that went into complete remission after one infusion — were published in the The Lancet. Oncology and represent the headline result of the study.
Researchers tracked outcomes across 159 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
This treatment — called axicabtagene ciloleucel or axi-cel — is FDA-approved for certain relapsed lymphomas, including follicular lymphoma. It works by reprogramming your own immune cells to attack cancer. Ask your doctor if CAR T-cell therapy is an option for you, especially if you've tried two or more treatments.
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
Pembrolizumab and Brentuximab Vedotin in Subjects With Relapsed/Refractory T-cell Lymphoma
This is a single arm, open label, multicenter study phase 2 study of pembrolizumab and brentuximab in subjects with relapsed/refractory CD30 positive T-cell lymphoma (including peripheral T-cell lymphoma and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma) who have received at least one prior therapy. We hypothesize that this combination is effective and will produce an overall response rate of \~55%. Pembrolizumab and brentuximab will be administered for 16 cycles in subjects with responsive disease. Pembrolizumab will be continued for an additional 19 cycles (total 35 cycles). Response assessments will occur at pre-specified intervals. For the primary endpoint the response assessment after 3 cycles will be taken into consideration. Dose adjustments for specific toxicities with either drug are detailed in the protocol. Based on statistical analysis 32 subjects will need to be accrued to evaluate for disease response based on historical control.
Duvelisib and Venetoclax in Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma (PTCL)
This is an open-label, phase I/II study of duvelisib in combination with Venetoclax for patients with relapsed/refractory NHL. Duvelisib is an FDA approved, marketed product used to treat certain patients with leukemia and lymphoma and Venetoclax, which is approved for treatment of certain patients with acute myeloid leukemia. The combination of these two drugs is experimental. Experimental means that it is not approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The researchers want to find out how safe it is to combine these drugs and how well this combination can work for your cancer.