In this “Science Simplified” series, we’ll be sharing insights from the latest research presented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) conference in December 2025. Each article explains what was studied, what was discovered, and what it could mean for people living with follicular lymphoma, without complex scientific language.
In this edition, the article has been split into two parts: the first looks at the latest advances in T‑cell engaging therapies (bispecific antibodies and CAR-T cell therapy), while the second explores other targeted treatment options. The large amount of research in this area reflects the urgent need for better treatments for people whose follicular lymphoma comes back.
Our aim is simple: to make the latest research understandable, relevant, and useful to you.
For most people, being on watch & wait or first line treatment for FL works well and can keep the lymphoma under control for years. But because FL is a chronic condition, it often returns (relapses) or sometimes doesn’t respond as fully as hoped (refractory disease) – often referred to as R/R FL (Relapsed/ Refractory FL).
When thinking about what treatment to use next, doctors look closely at:
Researchers are currently updating current tools and developing new ones, to better predict outcomes specifically for patients with R/R FL. These developments will help ensure clinical trials compare patients more fairly and that treatment decisions become even more personalised.
Epcoritamab is a bispecific antibody that acts like a bridge between lymphoma cells and immune T cells, making it easier for the immune system to attack the cancer.
A recent Phase 3 trial known as EPCORE FL1 showed striking results. Of 488 people with R/R FL, comparing the use of R² (lenalidomide + rituximab) alone or R² in combination with epcoritamab, the patients receiving the combination greatly improved how long people stayed in remission.
After 16 months on the study:
Some side effects, like infections, were more common but most were manageable. Overall, this trial shows how combining immunotherapies can significantly strengthen treatment. This therapy is now approved alone or as a combination option in the US and England, Wales, Scotland (as of March 2026) – see our news articles here: on the US announcement and UK announcement.
CAR-T cell therapy is a personalised treatment that uses a person’s own immune cells, which are collected, trained to recognise lymphoma cells, and then given back as a one-off infusion. Researchers presented longer follow-up results from two major CAR-T cell studies that had already led to approval of this treatment for people with heavily pretreated FL: the TRANSCEND FL study with a 3-year follow-up of liso-cel, and the ELARA study with a 5-year follow-up of tisa-cel.
Together, these studies suggest that complete responses to CAR-T cell therapy can be long lasting, even in people whose FL has returned many times. While side effects can persist, they are generally manageable with careful monitoring. Real world data from a large international registry, including 238 people with follicular lymphoma treated with a CAR-T cell therapy called axicel, supported the findings from TRANSCEND and ELARA. About two thirds of patients were still in remission two years after treatment, although infections were relatively common in the first six months, affecting around 3 in 10 people.
Researchers are now working on ways to improve CAR-T cell therapy and make it easier to access, by:
These advances could help make CAR-T cell therapy more effective, more accessible, and potentially less costly in the future.
Read the second part of the Article here:
Watch our Webinar on Choosing your next treatment here: https://www.theflf.org/previous-webinar/choosing-your-next-treatment-what-follicular-lymphoma-patients-should-know/
For the full technical report on ASH 2025 learnings, find our Chief Medical Officer’s article here: https://www.theflf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/CMO-FLF-JAN2026-report.pdf
Acknowledgements
These “Science simplified” articles on the learnings from ASH 2025 are supported by sponsorship from AstraZeneca, Genmab, AbbVie, Ipsen and Incyte. All of the above have had no influence on, control of, nor input into the development or content of any article.
This article is for information purposes only, and we recommend that you speak with your healthcare team if you have any questions around suitability and regional accessibility of therapy options.
Support our Mission
Help us drive life-changing research for follicular lymphoma patients. Your donation directly supports our efforts to advance innovative treatments and bring us closer to a cure.
