Laura Zitella Discusses the Growing Arsenal of Bispecific Antibodies in DLBCL

In May 2023, the FDA granted accelerated approval to epcoritamab-bysp (Epkinly) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), including DLBCL arising from indolent lymphoma, and high-grade B-cell lymphoma (HGBL), following 2 or more lines of systemic therapies. Shortly thereafter, in June 2023, the FDA granted accelerated approval to glofitamab-gxbm (Columvi) as a fixed duration treatment for patients with R/R DLBCL not otherwise specified or large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) arising from follicular lymphoma, after 2 or more lines of systemic therapy.

In this episode of The Vitals, Laura Zitella, MS, RN, ACNP-BC, AOCN, who is a hematology nurse practitioner in the Hematology, Blood, Marrow Transplant, and Cellular Therapy (HBC) program at UCSF Health and associate clinical professor in the Department of Physiological Nursing at the University of California San Francisco, joins Oncology Nursing News to discuss how these newly approved bispecific antibodies are expanding third-line treatment options for patients with DLBCL.

Episode Highlights

“Bispecific antibodies are antibodies that generally have at least 2 antigen binding sites: 1 binding site is to the antigen of interest on the cancer cell, and in lymphoma, that's often CD19, or CD20. The other antigen binding site is to CD3, which is a T-cell marker.”

“Unfortunately, we do not cure all patients with second-line therapy, [and] the bispecifics are used for third-line therapy, where we have historically had limited treatment options.”

“One of the big advantages of bispecific antibodies is that they are ‘off-the-shelf;’ they do not need to be manufactured, and they are available immediately.”

“Epcoratimab is a subcutaneous [administration] bispecific antibody, whereas glofitamab is an intravenous [administration]. Both require step-up dosing, which means that you start with a small dose and then the subsequent doses are a little bit higher, and a little bit higher until you reach your treatment dose.”

For More on DLBCL

• Glofitamab Gains Accelerated Approval for Relapsed/Refractory DLBCL
• Epcoritamab Obtains Accelerated Approval for Relapsed/Refractory DLBCL
• Investigators Unveil Real-World Experiences on Shared Decision-Making in R/R DLBCL

For More on Bispecific Antibodies

1. With New Bispecific Antibodies in Multiple Myeloma, Nurses Need to Know How to Manage CRS
2. Novel Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors, Bispecific Antibodies Become Clinical Mainstays in Melanoma Nursing
3. Smith Discusses Evolving Landscape of Lymphoma Treatments
4. Bispecific Antibodies May Change Lung Cancer Paradigm

More Podcast Episodes in Hematology

• Beth Faiman Discusses Recent Changes in Multiple Myeloma Treatment Landscape
• Oncology Nursing Stories: Off-The-Shelf CAR T Therapy for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
• Oncology Nursing Stories: Pregnancy After Lymphoma Chemoradiation
• Conversations Around Selinexor: Best Nursing Practices in Multiple Myeloma
• Stephanie Jackson Unpacks Recent Advances in Leukemia Treatments