First‐line treatment with epcoritamab in combination with bendamustine plus rituximab induces sustained remissions beyond 3 years in patients with follicular lymphoma
HemaSphere, vol. 10, pp. e70443
Abstract
First-line (1L) bendamustine plus rituximab (BR) leads to high response rates in follicular lymphoma (FL), but maintaining durable remissions remains challenging. We report the 3-year follow-up from arm 3 of the phase 1b/2 EPCORE NHL-2 trial (NCT04663347) of epcoritamab, a subcutaneously administered CD3×CD20 bispecific antibody, combined with BR in patients with newly diagnosed FL. Twenty-five patients received epcoritamab plus BR, followed by epcoritamab monotherapy for up to 2 years. At a median follow-up of 41.3 months, the best overall response and CR rates were both 96%. The median time to CR was 1.5 (range 1-6) months. At 3 years, 87% of responders maintained CR. High CR rates were observed across subgroups, including 100% of patients with bulky disease (≥7 cm), 93% with Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index score ≥3, and 100% with bone marrow involvement. The three-year progression-free survival and overall survival rates were 83% and 96%, respectively. Three patients progressed within 24 months of initiating treatment. Long-term data were consistent with prior reports and the known safety profiles of the individual agents, with no high-grade cytokine release syndrome or immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome events. Infections occurred in 92% of patients; COVID-19 was the most common (84%). Overall, 1L FL treatment with epcoritamab plus BR resulted in deep, durable responses beyond 3 years with a consistent safety profile. These results compare favorably with BR alone, although they require confirmation in further studies, and highlight the versatility of epcoritamab in combination with various standards of care and in improving outcomes in FL.
Authors 22
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Umberto Vitolo corresponding
Affiliation as printed
Candiolo Cancer Institute, Fondazione del Piemonte per l'Oncologia‐IRCCS Candiolo (Turin) Piedmont Italy
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Affiliation as printed
Lymphoma Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York New York USA
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Sahlgrenska University Hospital
Affiliation as printed
Section for Hematology and Coagulation Sahlgrenska University Hospital Gothenburg Sweden
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University Medical Center Groningen · University of Groningen
Affiliation as printed
Department of Hematology University Medical Center Groningen and University of Groningen Groningen Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Hematology Universitair Ziekenhuis Gent Ghent Belgium
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Hematology AZ Sint‐Jan Hospital Bruges Belgium
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Hematology Odense University Hospital Odense Denmark
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University of Southern Denmark · Vejle Sygehus
Affiliation as printed
Department of Hematology and University of Southern Denmark Vejle Hospital Vejle Denmark
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Oncology Oslo University Hospital Oslo Norway
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Hospital Universitario La Paz · Hospital La Paz Institute for Health Research
Affiliation as printed
Department of Hematology IdiPaz, La Paz University Hospital Madrid Spain
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Austin Health · Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute
Affiliation as printed
Olivia Newton John Cancer Research Institute at Austin Health Melbourne Victoria Australia
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Haematology Aarhus University Hospital Aarhus Midtjylland Denmark
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University of Michigan · Michigan Medicine
Affiliation as printed
Division of Hematology‐Oncology, Department of Medicine University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USA
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Sahlgrenska University Hospital · University of Gothenburg
Affiliation as printed
Department of Hematology and Coagulation, Sahlgrenska University Hospital University of Gothenburg Gothenburg Götaland Sweden
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Joost S.P. Vermaat Aachen Department of Hematology Leiden University Medical Center Leiden Zuid‐Holland Netherlands
Leiden University Medical Center
Affiliation as printed
Department of Hematology Leiden University Medical Center Leiden Zuid‐Holland Netherlands
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Hematology Karolinska Institutet Stockholm Stockholms län Sweden
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Affiliation as printed
AbbVie North Chicago Illinois USA
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Affiliation as printed
Genmab Plainsboro New Jersey USA
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Affiliation as printed
Genmab Copenhagen Hovedstaden Denmark
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Affiliation as printed
Genmab Plainsboro New Jersey USA
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Affiliation as printed
Genmab Plainsboro New Jersey USA
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Tisch Cancer Institute · Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Affiliation as printed
The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York New York USA
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