TALOs, Fill the Gap: Tafasitamab and Lenalidomide in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma in the Real-Life Patient Journey

The combination of tafasitamab and lenalidomide (tafa-lena) has demonstrated efficacy in relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (R/R DLBCL), as evidenced by the L-MIND study. To investigate the therapeutic potential and safety profile of tafa-lena in real-life, we conducted a national multicentric retrospective study. Eighty-three patients with median age of 74 years were enrolled. The 49.4% of patients had a disease refractory to the first line therapy while 63.9% were refractory to the most recent one. The best overall response rate was 47% (28.9% complete remission). With a median follow-up of 16 months, the median overall survival (OS) was 8.6 months and the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.5 months. Disease-free survival and median duration of response were reached at 52.8 and at 52.1 months, respectively. Compared to refractory disease (N = 53, 63.9%), relapsed disease (N = 26, 31.3%) was associated with better outcome in term of PFS (median 2.8 vs. 12.4 months) and OS (median 5.4 months vs. not reached). Neutropenia (52.5%) was the most common adverse events, predominantly related to lenalidomide. Our findings align with other real-world studies, supporting the regimen as effective and safe, and highlighting that one third of patients experiencing long-lasting responses even with dose reduction.