T-cell lymphoma is a group of blood cancers that start in a type of white blood cell called a T-cell. It is less common than B-cell lymphoma and historically harder to treat. The main types include peripheral T-cell lymphoma, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (which affects the skin), and anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Treatment typically involves chemotherapy, and some forms are treated with stem cell transplant.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing antibody-drug combinations that deliver chemotherapy directly to cancer cells, CAR-T cell therapies rebuilt to target T-cell cancers, checkpoint inhibitors that help the immune system attack the tumor, and new combinations that may replace standard chemotherapy. Skin-targeting therapies are also advancing for cutaneous forms.
CAR-T therapy
Engineered immune cells have transformed B-cell lymphoma treatment. Researchers are now adapting this approach for T-cell cancers, which is technically harder because the modified cells can destroy each other. Several trials are testing early solutions to this problem.
Antibody-drug conjugates
These drugs attach a chemotherapy payload to an antibody that seeks out cancer cells. Trials are testing them alone and in combination with other drugs in patients whose cancer has returned or stopped responding.
Targeted combinations
Several trials are testing drugs that block specific proteins T-cell lymphomas depend on to grow, combined with existing chemotherapy. The goal is to improve response rates without adding significant side effects.
What to know before you search
Eligibility depends heavily on the specific subtype of T-cell lymphoma (peripheral, cutaneous, anaplastic large cell, etc.), prior treatments, whether the cancer has relapsed, and overall health.
What types of trials are currently open
- Chemotherapy combination trials — Testing new drug regimens that add targeted agents to standard chemotherapy, or replace older drugs with better-tolerated ones.
- CAR-T and cell therapy trials — Testing engineered immune cells designed to find and destroy T-cell lymphoma, particularly for patients whose cancer has relapsed.
- Checkpoint inhibitor trials — Testing drugs that release immune system brakes, helping the body attack the lymphoma — particularly in Hodgkin-like variants that may respond.
- Skin-directed therapy trials — For cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, testing new topical treatments, light-based therapies, and targeted drugs that act on the skin without systemic side effects.
- Maintenance and transplant trials — Testing whether stem cell transplant improves long-term outcomes in remission, and what maintenance therapy after transplant prevents relapse.
Recently added T-cell Lymphoma trials
Efficacy and Safety of Chidamide Combined With PD-1 Inhibitor as Maintenance Therapy Following CAR-T Cell Treatment With TP53-Mutated Large B-Cell Lymphoma (LBCL)
This is a study for patients with a type of blood cancer called large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) who have a mutation in a gene called TP53. This gene mutation often makes the cancer harder to treat with standard therapies. CAR T-cell therapy is a treatment that uses a patient's own immune cells to fight cancer. However, some patients relapse (the cancer comes back) after CAR T-cell therapy. This study will test whether taking two drugs - chidamide (a tablet taken by mouth) and a PD-1 inhibitor (given by intravenous infusion) - as maintenance therapy after CAR T-cell therapy can help keep the cancer from coming back. Participants in this study will receive CAR T-cell therapy, followed by maintenance treatment with chidamide combined with a PD-1 inhibitor. Doctors will closely monitor participants for how well the treatment works and for any side effects. The study will take place at a single hospital, and all participants will receive the same treatment. The main goal of the study is to find out if this maintenance treatment is effective and safe for patients with TP53-mutant large B-cell lymphoma.
CD19 Sequential CD22 In Vivo CAR-T Cell Immunotherapy for Relapsed/Refractory B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
This is a single-center, open-label, single-arm, prospective, investigator-initiated dose-escalation study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, preliminary efficacy, and cellular kinetics of an in vivo CAR-T cell immunotherapy targeting CD19 sequentially followed by CD22, in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (R/R B-ALL). The investigational product is a targeted lentiviral vector that transduces the patient's endogenous T/NK cells in situ; no leukapheresis, ex vivo manufacturing, or lymphodepleting conditioning is required. Participants receive an intravenous infusion of CD19-targeted in vivo CAR-T on Day 0, followed by an intravenous infusion of CD22-targeted in vivo CAR-T on Day 7. Before the Day 7 infusion, the investigator will assess each participant to determine whether the second infusion should proceed, based on: (i) the proportion of CAR-positive T/NK cells in peripheral blood, which reflects the success of in vivo transduction and early expansion after the first infusion; (ii) the maximum grade and current control of adverse events occurring after the first infusion, including cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS); and (iii) the participant's general condition, including Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status and vital organ function (cardiac, hepatic, renal, pulmonary, and coagulation). The second infusion will be postponed or cancelled if any of these assessments indicates that the risk outweighs the benefit, for example grade \>=3 CRS or grade \>=2 ICANS that has not resolved to grade \<=1, or investigator-judged deterioration in organ function. Dose escalation follows a traditional 3+3 design with planned dose levels of 1×10\^9, 3×10\^9, and 6×10\^9 transducing units (TU), guided by dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) assessed during Days 0-28; higher dose levels may be explored if the maximum tolerated dose is not reached. Treatment-emergent adverse events and serious adverse events, including CRS, immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), hematologic toxicity, and organ toxicity, will be assessed. Preliminary antitumor activity will be evaluated by objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS), and the expansion and persistence of in vivo-generated CAR-T cells in peripheral blood will also be evaluated.
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