Emerging therapies for relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma

Czech version

Authors: P. Vodička; M. Trněný
Authors‘ workplace: I. interní klinika – klinika hematologie, 1. LF UK a VFN v Praze
Published in: Transfuze Hematol. dnes,32, 2026, No. 3, p. 197-204.
Category: Review/Educational Papers
doi: https://doi.org/10.48095/cctahd202618

Overview

Follicular lymphoma (FL) is an indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma characterized by a disease course of repeated relapses and progressively shortening durations of treatment response. Despite recent therapeutic advances, relapsed/refractory (r/r) FL remains a clinical challenge, particularly in high-risk patients who experience early disease progression within 24 months of initial therapy (POD24). This review summarizes the current treatment landscape for r/r FL, focusing on modern, chemotherapy-free therapeutic approaches. Specifically, we discuss recent data from two landmark phase 3 trials evaluating novel agents in combination with the rituximab-lenalidomide (R2) regimen: the EPCORE FL-1 study evaluating epcoritamab, and the inMIND study evaluating tafasitamab. Both trials demonstrated significant improvements in progression-free survival and achieved higher response rates compared to R2 alone, maintaining efficacy even among high-risk subgroups including POD24. Finally, this article reviews other emerging therapeutic modalities and outlines how they may be integrated into future treatment algorithms. Current developments highlight a paradigm shift toward chemotherapy-free regimens designed to achieve deep, durable remissions while preserving patient quality of life.

Keywords:

follicular lymphoma – relapsed/refractory – rituximab + lenalidomide – epcoritamab – tafasitamab

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Transfusion and Haematology Today

2026 Issue 3