By Dr Zoe Drymoussi, Research Manager
At the recent International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML), the FLF shone a spotlight on follicular lymphoma (FL), by hosting our very own satellite symposium for the second time, titled: “Charting our Progress Towards a Cure”.
Dr Mitchell Smith, Chief Medical Officer at the FLF, chaired the session and led the discussion with our expert panel of speakers: Professors Stefano Luminari, Jessica Okosun, and Ari Melnick. Put together, it was a very stimulating and inspiring panel discussion – looking at the incredible recent progress in the field, across molecular biology, technology, and the clinic.
Innovations like CAR-T therapy, bispecific antibodies, and deeper insights into minimal residual disease (MRD) and clonal dynamics offer a unique opportunity to transform the existing treatment paradigm – to cure FL. We are excited about recent developments in FL therapy and pathophysiology and this symposium delivered an engaging discussion, on how we may harness these key advances to design and evaluate future curative approaches for FL patients.
The patient perspective is central to our mission of finding a cure
To open the session, Paul Mollitt – who lives with FL, is co-moderator of the “Living with follicular lymphoma” Facebook group and is a long-standing member of the FLF’s patient involvement group – shared his personal reflections. In pre-recorded video footage, he shared a common theme among the FL patient community is ongoing anxiety about the uncertainty of their future. Even if those living with FL are in a period of remission or responding to treatment well, a cure rather than extension of response to treatment is crucial.
Hear Paul’s thoughts below:
“I’m overjoyed to be classed as in remission, but this cancer will inevitably return, and people like me live with that daily uncertainty. I’m optimistic that a cure will be found in my lifetime and it would allow me to plan for the future, and to not be so plagued with health anxiety and uncertainty. A cure is my most heartfelt wish.”
– Paul Mollitt, living with FL.
Exciting advances in clinical, translational and molecular research
Prof Luminari walked us through some of the most exciting therapies to reach the clinic, especially the T-cell engagers which include CAR T-cell therapy and bispecific antibodies. Longer follow-up data, different combinations of treatments, as well as trials looking to bring these therapies to earlier lines of treatment all give great hope for improved outcomes for FL patients.
Several research initiatives are underway to find better agents, easier to administer, reduce toxicity, and increase effectiveness. However, a big challenge that remains is how can we better predict which patients will respond best to which treatments?
Prof Okosun talked about the science that we need to understand better, to have the right tools in a clinicians’ back pocket. Tools to help clinicians decide which treatment to give at which time to which patient, but also tools to be able to show which patients are likely cured, without having to wait a lifetime to find out.
Follicular lymphoma is very heterogeneous, meaning that there are many different “flavours” to address – it won’t be a one size fits all approach. Therefore, it is likely that there will not be one way to track the disease, and clinicians’ toolkits will need to have several elements in order to monitor all the relevant changes as a whole package dynamically.
Taking things to a deeper molecular level, Prof Melnick focused on unpicking the very foundations of FL – the nature of the lymphoma cells, as well as its direct molecular and cellular environment (often referred to as the Tumour Microenvironment and the Immune Microenvironment). If we can understand how the cells and their environment behave, how the lymphoma develops, we can then look at working out how to intervene and potentially even prevent it in the first place. Ultimately, how can this knowledge lead to a cure?
How do we now when a patient is cured?
A central part to the discussion was around defining what we mean by “cure” and how do we know when we have reached a “cure”. There was overall consensus that we are making great strides in achieving ever-improving outcomes for patients, with new treatments coming to fruition as well as increasing our understanding of the underlying biology. However, the greatest challenge today is that we have no way of knowing which patients are likely to do well, and which patients will have poorer outcomes. We have no reliable test that can predict how a patient is likely to respond to a specific treatment – whether they will be cured.
Hear Prof Luminari’s thoughts on curing FL:
“YES, we can cure patients with follicular lymphoma. The problem we have and that we are facing every day as clinicians, is to identify the patients who cannot be cured – we don’t know yet. And for the patients who achieve the best results, we don’t know after the end of therapy if this patient is going to be cured.”
– Prof Stefano Luminari, Professor of Oncology
The future is compelling
Our team left the FLF satellite symposium at 18-ICML feeling energised and deeply optimistic about the future of research in follicular lymphoma. Our conversations with leading experts at the symposium and rest of the conference underscored a strong sense of momentum and the potential for significant progress ahead.
There was a powerful sense that the field is shifting, moving beyond incremental progress toward bold, paradigm-changing advances. We came away with important questions, and we weren’t afraid to challenge our current thinking. That spirit of curiosity and urgency is driving us forward. We are proud to be supporting the critical research needed to accelerate progress and bring us closer to what patients and their loved ones need most: a cure.
Full recording of the symposium is available
For those interested in listening to the full recording, follow the link to watch on our YouTube channel.
Note that this recording uses technical language and is intended for a scientific and clinical audience. Speakers’ views do not represent the views of the FLF. The video is intended for educational and disease awareness purposes only and the information presented and discussed does not constitute medical advice.
Find out more by watching our webinar on this topic!
We hosted a live webinar “Charting our progress towards a cure” on the 9th July 2025. One of the symposium panellists Prof Jessica Okosun, along with patient advocate Paul Mollitt joined Dr Mitchell Smith in discussion, to break down the key learnings from our symposium.
Don’t miss out and catch up in your own time!
Thank you to our panel and our sponsors
A heartfelt thank you to all our panellists and everyone who joined us, both in person and online. The conversations sparked during the session are just the beginning, and we’re committed to continuing the exploration of these important topics in greater depth.
This programme was supported by an independent educational grant from AstraZeneca. Sponsorship support from BeOne Medicines USA, Inc., Novartis and Kite, who provided funding. All funders have had no input into the content of the materials used at this symposium.
