Dr. Burke on the Ongoing First-MIND Trial With Tafasitamab in DLBCL

John M. Burke, MD, associate chair of the Hematology Research Program for US Oncology and medical oncologist and hematologist at Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, discusses the ongoing phase Ib First-MIND trial in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Tafasitamab is an engineered antibody that targets CD19. When used in combination with lenalidomide, the drug has shown encouraging activity in patients with relapsed large cell lymphoma. Therefore, investigators theorized that the addition of the combination to standard frontline chemotherapy could lead to improved outcomes in patients with DLBCL, says Burke. In the trial, patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL were randomized to receive the combination of R-CHOP plus tafasitamab or R-CHOP/tafasitamab plus lenalidomide (Revlimid).

The trial opened in December 2019 and is ongoing. Patients in the combination arm will receive conventional R-CHOP therapy for 6 cycles plus tafasitamab, says Burke. Patients in the other arm will receive R-CHOP and tafasitamab, plus lenalidomide via oral administration during all 6 cycles of treatment, concludes Burke.