Tafasitamab with Lenalidomide and Rituximab for Relapsed Follicular Lymphoma

Learn results from a large global study that tested whether adding tafasitamab (Monjuvi, Incyte) to a commonly used combination of lenalidomide and rituximab could help people with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma. 

Exploring new immunotherapy options after follicular lymphoma returns

Follicular lymphoma often follows a pattern of remission and relapse. This means it often comes back (relapses) after successful treatment (remission). Because of this, many people need more than one line of treatment over time. Finding options that work longer without adding major side effects matters to patients planning their next steps. 

Lenalidomide plus rituximab is an immunotherapy combination often used when follicular lymphoma returns or stops responding to treatment. Immunotherapy works by helping the immune system better target lymphoma cells. 

Tafasitamab is a lab-made antibody that targets CD19, a marker found on many lymphoma cells. It is designed to help immune cells remove those cancer cells more effectively. Researchers wanted to know if adding tafasitamab could improve patients’ results without causing unsafe side effects. 

What the inMIND study showed about adding tafasitamab

In the inMIND study (NCT04680052), 548 adults with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma were randomly assigned to receive either tafasitamab plus lenalidomide and rituximab or a placebo plus lenalidomide and rituximab. Treatment was given in 28-day cycles for up to 12 cycles. 

The results showed a clear benefit from adding tafasitamab. The amount of time patients were alive without experiencing lymphoma progression was a median of 22.4 months in the tafasitamab group and 13.9 months without tafasitamab. The median is the midpoint. This means that half of the patients in the tafasitamab group were alive for less than 22.4 months, and half were alive longer than that. 

Patients experienced similar side effects in both groups, most commonly low white blood cell counts, diarrhea, and infections. Side effects were considered to be manageable with monitoring and supportive care. No deaths were linked to treatment with tafasitamab. 

What this could mean for future care

Researchers concluded that adding tafasitamab led to a clinically meaningful improvement in how long treatment worked. Based on these results, this combination may become a new standard option for people whose follicular lymphoma has returned or stopped responding to earlier therapy. Longer follow-up is ongoing to better understand overall survival and long-term safety. 

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Source: 

• Tafasitamab, lenalidomide, and rituximab in relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (inMIND): a global, phase 3, randomised controlled trial