Hello, my name is Marc Hoffmann. I'm the director of the Lymphoma Department at the University of Kansas. This year, I presented a couple of abstracts, including a long-term extension study of a drug called golcadomide, given in combination with rituximab for patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
Golcadomide has an interesting history. It is derived from thalidomide, which some may recall was used as a sedative in pregnant women many years ago but unfortunately caused birth defects. Later, thalidomide was found to have activity against certain blood cancers, particularly multiple myeloma. Over time, this drug class evolved through multiple iterations, including lenalidomide, which was developed for multiple myeloma and later used in lymphoma. Golcadomide is a derivative but represents its own new drug class.
Golcadomide works by degrading proteins that are central to the growth of specific lymphoma cells. It’s designed to specifically target lymphatic tissues such as lymph nodes and the spleen, rather than distributing broadly in the blood or bone marrow. Compared to lenalidomide, golcadomide achieves greater protein degradation and higher immune activation.
This study was a phase 1 trial, in which we determined the optimal dose and schedule for patients. The data I presented focused on the recommended phase 2 dose, which is now being investigated for potential future use.
Among patients with large B-cell lymphoma who had multiple prior treatments—the median number of prior lines of therapy was over four—and with 60% having received prior CAR-T therapy or bispecific therapy, we observed very high response rates: 60% overall and 45% among those with prior T-cell redirecting therapy. These responses were durable, particularly the complete responses. Six patients completed the full two-year study and remain in remission off therapy, and another six continue on therapy.
Golcadomide is now being evaluated in a variety of other settings. It has been combined with R-CHOP for newly diagnosed large B-cell lymphoma, and a large international phase 3 trial comparing R-CHOP versus R-CHOP plus golcadomide has fully accrued and is expected to report soon. Additional studies are ongoing in follicular lymphoma and relapsed large B-cell lymphoma, exploring different combinations and treatment settings.
The long-term follow-up data were very encouraging and highlight golcadomide as an active and promising therapy in lymphoma.
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HealthTree • December 28, 2025