June 5, 2026
Prepared by Dr Edwin Uriel Suárez

Teclistamab in Multiple Myeloma with One to Three Previous Lines of Therapy (Phase 3 clinical trial)

This study was presented at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting(May 29 through June 2, 2026).

Highlights:

-        The efficacy of teclistamab, a bispecific antibody targeting B-cell maturation antigen and CD3, as early-line monotherapy in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma MM) is unclear.

-        Among patients with MM and one to three previous lines of therapy, in the MajesTEC-9 trial, teclistamab significantly improved progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) as compared with pomalidomide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (PVd) or carfilzomib and dexamethasone (Kd).

Patients with relapsed or refractory MM who had previously received one, two, or three lines of therapy, including an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody and lenalidomide, were randomized to receive teclistamab (n=296) or the investigator’s choice (n=297) of PVd or Kd.   At the interim analysis (median follow-up, 17.3 months), teclistamab significantly improved PFS as compared with PVd or Kd (estimated 18-month PFS, 69.8% vs. 26.9%; hazard ratio [HR] for disease progression or death, 0.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.23 to 0.38; P<0.001). The percentage of patients with a complete response or better was higher with teclistamab than with PVd or Kd (65.9% vs. 16.8%, P<0.001). OS was improved with teclistamab as compared with PVd or Kd (estimated 18-month OS, 79.2% vs. 68.6%; HR for death, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.43 to 0.83; P=0.002). Adverse events of grade 3 or 4 occurred in 84.9% of teclistamab recipients and in 76.3% of PVd or Kd recipients, with grade 5 adverse events in 6.5% and 3.5%, respectively. Grade 3 or 4 infections were common, occurring in 41.6% of teclistamab recipients and in 29.0% of PVd or Kd recipients.

Efficacy and Safety of Anselamimab in Immunoglobulin Light Chain Amyloidosis: Results From the Randomized CARES Trials (Phase 3 clinical trial)

This study was presented at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Highlights:

-        In immunoglobulin light chain (AL) amyloidosis, amyloid fibrils cause organ dysfunction. Anselamimab, a monoclonal antibody, selectively binds to amyloid fibrils, accelerating their clearance.

-        Treatment with anselamimab (an antifibril antibody used alongside antiplasma cell dyscrasia therapy), while not meeting the primary end point in the overall population; significantly improved all-cause mortality (ACM) and cardiovascular hospitilizations (CVHs) in patients with kappa AL.

Newly diagnosed patients (n=406) with European modification of Mayo 2004 stage IIIa or IIIb AL amyloidosis were randomly assigned to receive anselamimab or placebo with cyclophosphamide, bortezomib, and dexamethasone (with or without daratumumab). The primary end-point was a hierarchical composite of time to all-cause mortality (ACM) and frequency of cardiovascular hospitalizations (CVHs), analyzed by the Finkelstein-Schoenfeld test and win ratio estimation..

The primary end-point win ratio for anselamimab versus placebo was 1.11 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83, 1.50; P=0.332), and the hazard ratio (HR) for ACM was 0.80 (95% CI, 0.57, 1.13; P=0.290). CVH rates in the anselamimab and placebo groups were 0.59 (95% CI, 0.42, 0.83) and 0.89 (95% CI, 0.55, 1.43), respectively (P=0.145). Among patients with kappa isotype (n=72), the win ratio was 2.06 (95% CI, 0.98, 4.31; P=0.100) and anselamimab reduced ACM by 62% versus placebo (HR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.17 to 0.86; nominal P=0.012), and CVH by 71% (incidence risk ratio, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.10 to 0.87; nominal P=0.028). 

Tafasitamab plus lenalidomide and R-CHOP versus R-CHOP for first-line treatment of patients with high-risk diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (frontMIND): a global, phase 3, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial 

This study was presented at the 2026 ASCO Annual Meeting.

Highlights:

-        Approximately 40% of patients with high-risk diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are not cured with first-line R-CHOP.

-        Progression-free survival (PFS) was significantly improved with tafa-len-R-CHOP versus R-CHOP.

-        The reduction in the risk of disease progression or death in these patients with addition of tafasitamab + lenalidomide to R-CHOP (tafa-len-R-CHOP), and the possibility of PFS benefit in specific subgroups with needs not met by current first-line treatment regimens, including patients younger than 65 years, those with germinal center B-like molecular subtype, and those with bulky disease, could expand the first-line armamentarium for these patients with high-risk disease.

In the phase 3 frontMIND study, a randomized (from 2021 to 2023), double-blind, placebo-controlled, international, multicenter trial, patients (n=899) aged 18–80 years with previously untreated high-intermediate or high-risk DLBCL or high-grade B-cell lymphoma were randomly assigned (1:1), stratified by International Prognostic Index (IPI), age-adjusted IPI and geographical region, to receive six 21-day cycles of standard R-CHOP or tafa-len-R-CHOP. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed PFS analyzed in the intention-to-treat population.

At the time of the primary analysis, the median follow-up was 35.2 months (95% CI, 35.0–35.4). PFS improved in the tafa-len-R-CHOP group compared to the R-CHOP group (hazard ratio [HR], 0.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.59–0.96; P=0.0194). The 2-year PFS rates were 71.1% (66.3–75.4) and 62.9% (57.9–67.5), respectively. The interim HR for overall survival was 0.85 (0.63–1.14). The overall rate of grade 3 or higher treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) was higher with tafa-len-R-CHOP (87% of 443 patients) than with R-CHOP (76% of 447 patients). Additionally, a higher rate of fatal TEAEs was observed with tafa-len-R-CHOP (6%) than with R-CHOP (4%). However, there were fewer overall deaths in the tafa-len-R-CHOP group than in the R-CHOP group (82 [19%] vs. 97 [22%]). 

Plasmablastic Lymphoma: 2026 Update on Diagnosis, Risk Stratification, and Management (Review; ANNUAL CLINICAL UPDATES IN HEMATOLOGICAL MALIGNANCIES of American Journal of Hematology)

Key points:

-        Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a rare CD20-negative aggressive lymphoma with poor prognosis when treated with standard treatment options.

-        Although PBL is associated with HIV infection and other immunosuppressed states, it can also affect immunocompetent individuals.

-        The diagnosis of PBL requires a high clinical suspicion and pathological confirmation.

-        Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded RNA (EBER) expression and MYC gene rearrangements are frequently detected in the malignant cells. The differential diagnosis includes EBV+ diffuse large B- cell lymphoma (DLBCL), extracavitary primary effusion lymphoma, ALK+ DLBCL, and HHV8+ large B- cell lymphoma, among others. See Table 1 in original paper.

-        Age ≥ 60 years, advanced clinical stage, and high International Prognostic Index scores are associated with worse survival.

-        Combination chemotherapy regimens, such as infusional EPOCH, are recommended. The addition of bortezomib or daratumumab might improve outcomes (See Figure 2 in original paper). B-cell maturation antigen-targeted therapies have shown early efficacy. The participation of patients with PBL in prospective clinical trials is warranted.

Ultrasound-Facilitated, Catheter-Directed Fibrinolysis for Acute Pulmonary Embolism (Phase 3 clinical trial)

Highlights:

-        Whether anticoagulation alone is an adequate treatment for acute, intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism is uncertain.

-        In patients with acute, intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism, ultrasound-facilitated, catheter-directed fibrinolysis plus anticoagulation led to a lower risk of the composite of pulmonary embolism–related death, cardiopulmonary decompensation or collapse, or symptomatic recurrence of pulmonary embolism within 7 days than anticoagulation alone (HI-PEITHO trial, NCT04790370).

Patients with intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism (with a ratio of right ventricular

end-diastolic diameter to left ventricular end-diastolic diameter of ≥1.0 and

an elevated troponin level) were eligible if they had at least two indicators of cardiorespiratory distress (systolic blood pressure of ≤110 mm Hg, a heart rate of ≥100 beats

per minute, or a respiratory rate of >20 breaths per minute). Patients were randomly

assigned to undergo ultrasound-facilitated, catheter-directed fibrinolysis with alteplase

plus anticoagulation (the intervention group) or anticoagulation alone (the

control group).  The primary outcome was a composite of pulmonary embolism–related death, cardiorespiratory decompensation or collapse, or symptomatic recurrence of pulmonary embolism within 7 days.

The intention-to-treat population comprised 544 patients: 273 in the intervention

group and 271 in the control group. The mean age was 58.2 years (± standard deviation, 13.5). A primary-outcome event occurred in 11 patients (4.0%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.3 to 7.1) in the intervention group and 28 (10.3%; 95% CI, 7.2 to 14.5) in the control group (relative risk, 0.39; 95% CI, 0.20 to 0.77; P=0.005). The effect was driven primarily by a lower risk of cardiorespiratory decompensation or collapse in the intervention group.  Major bleeding occurred within 7 days after randomization in 11 patients (4.1%) in the intervention group and 6 (2.2%) in the control group (P=0.32); major bleeding occurred within 30 days in 11 patients (4.1%) and 8 patients (3.0%), respectively (P=0.64).