Bispecific Antibodies For Follicular Lymphoma: Increased Use And The Possibility of A Cure

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Bispecific Antibodies For Follicular Lymphoma: What To Know

Bispecific antibodies are a new immunotherapy that helps the immune system fight non-Hodgkin lymphoma by bringing T-cells — white blood cells that help your immune system find and destroy infections or abnormal cells — directly to cancer cells.
Unlike CAR T-Cell Therapy — a non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment that requires a manufacturing process that re-engineers patient’s T-Cells in a lab — bispecific antibodies are ready-made medications.
Bispecific antibodies offer patients a convenient effective new treatment option—providing deep remissions without the delays or complexities of cell-based therapies, while allowing for targeted cancer attack and improved quality of life.

In recent years, treatment options for follicular lymphoma, one of the most common types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (a cancer of the lymph nodes and immune system) have expanded dramatically. According to Dr. Changchun Deng, a lymphoma specialist at UH Seidman Cancer Center in Cleveland, one of the most exciting advances is a newer form of immunotherapy called bispecific antibodies.

“This type of treatment has really transformed how we treat follicular lymphoma and has markedly improved the patient’s outcome,” Dr. Deng said in conversation with SurvivorNet. “We hope that will sooner later translate into really a cure for follicular lymphoma.”

What Are Bispecific Antibodies?

Antibodies are proteins made by your immune system to help fight infections. Scientists can now engineer antibodies in the lab to help the immune system fight cancer.

“Bispecific” means the drug can attach to two different targets at the same time.

“Bispecific antibodies refers to the newer generation of immunotherapy that has two targeting mechanisms,” Dr. Deng explains. “One is talking the tumor antigen so that they know where to go. And, the other one can target antibodies so they can bring and activate the T-cells, and then the T-cells can attack the lymphoma cells where the disease is.”

To summarize, these treatments are designed with two jobs:

One side recognizes a tumor antigen — a specific marker found on the surface of lymphoma cells (such as CD20, a protein commonly found on B-cell lymphomas).

The other side binds to CD3, a protein found on T-cells (a type of immune cell that kills infected or abnormal cells).
By attaching to both the cancer cell and the T-cell at the same time, the drug physically brings the immune cell right next to the lymphoma cell. This helps activate the T-cell so it can attack and destroy the cancer.

Why Is This Important?

Dr. Deng explains that this approach has significantly improved outcomes for people with relapsed (returned) follicular lymphoma.

Studies have shown higher complete response rates (meaning no detectable cancer after treatment), longer progression-free survival (the time before the cancer grows again), and more durable disease control.

“These results are very encouraging,” Dr. Deng says, noting that doctors hope this progress may eventually move the field closer to long-term remission — and possibly even cure — for some patients.

FDA-Approved Options

Two bispecific antibodies are currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for relapsed follicular lymphoma:

Epcoritamab-bysp (brand name Epkinly)
Mosunetuzumab-axgb (brand name Lunsumio)

Both target CD20 on lymphoma cells and CD3 on T-cells.

For patients whose lymphoma has returned after prior treatment, these therapies represent a powerful new way to harness the immune system — offering renewed hope and meaningful advances in care.

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