A Study to Evaluate Zilovertamab Vedotin (MK-2140) Combination With Rituximab Plus Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, and Prednisone (R-CHP) Versus Rituximab Plus Cyclophosphamide, Doxorubicin, Vincristine, and Prednisone (R-CHOP) in Participants With Previously Untreated DLBCL (MK-2140-010)
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What is DLBCL?
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is a fast growing cancer of B lymphocytes, the immune cells that make antibodies. It usually shows up as a rapidly enlarging, painless lump in the neck, armpit, or groin, sometimes with fevers, night sweats, and weight loss, and it can also start outside lymph nodes, most often in the stomach or bowel. It is most often diagnosed in people in their 60s, slightly more often in men, and it can arise on its own or develop from a slower lymphoma such as follicular lymphoma.
Standard first treatment is R-CHOP, rituximab combined with chemotherapy, with an antibody drug conjugate added for some higher risk patients. When lymphoma returns or does not respond, options include CAR T cell therapy, stem cell transplant for some, and bispecific antibodies. Other lymphomas are on our lymphoma clinical trials page.
New to research? Read how clinical trials for cancer work.
Types of DLBCL clinical trials
First line trials. Bispecific antibodies or antibody drug conjugates added to or replacing parts of R-CHOP, aiming to cure more people with their first treatment.
Relapsed and refractory trials. New combinations and targeted drugs for lymphoma that returns or does not respond, the largest group of studies.
CAR T cell trials. Next generation and off the shelf CAR T products, cells engineered inside the body, and ways to prevent CAR T side effects; see CAR T cell therapy clinical trials.
Bispecific antibody trials. Antibodies that connect T cells to lymphoma cells, moving into earlier treatment and new combinations.
Trials for older adults. Gentler regimens for people who cannot tolerate full dose chemotherapy.
Young adult and pediatric trials. Studies for younger patients, who are treated differently.
How is DLBCL different from other lymphomas?
It grows fast and needs treatment promptly, unlike slow growing lymphomas such as follicular lymphoma that may be watched. It is also more often curable than the slow growing types.
Who can participate in DLBCL clinical trials?
First line trials enroll people who are newly diagnosed and not yet treated, often with higher risk disease by the International Prognostic Index, and they need to start quickly because DLBCL is treated within weeks. Relapsed trials specify how many prior treatments you have had and whether you have already had CAR T or a transplant. Most require a biopsy that confirms DLBCL, adequate organ function, and the ability to manage daily activities, and some require a tumor marker such as CD19 or CD20. Trials for older adults often accept people who are not candidates for standard chemotherapy. Eligibility always varies by study.
Stages of DLBCL, and why they matter for trials
Limited stage (I to II). Disease on one side of the diaphragm. Often cured with shorter treatment, sometimes with radiation; fewer trials enroll here.
Advanced stage (III to IV). Disease on both sides of the diaphragm or in organs. Six cycles of R-CHOP based treatment; most first line trials enroll here.
Relapsed or refractory. Lymphoma that returned or never fully responded, defined by time since first treatment and number of prior lines; the setting for CAR T, bispecific, and new drug trials.
How to enroll in a DLBCL clinical trial
Identify your trial. Use the filters and match "previously untreated" or "relapsed/refractory" and the number of prior lines to your history.
Select your preferred location. Enter your city or state. CAR T trials run at specialized centers; chemotherapy based trials run more widely.
Explore study details. Click "Learn More" for prior treatment rules, marker tests, and whether a hospital stay is involved.
Complete the health profile. Click "Get started" to begin the 5-step application. Have ready your lymphoma subtype and stage from the biopsy report, the treatments you have had with dates, and whether you have had CAR T or a transplant.
Submit the application. A clinical trial coordinator reviews it and contacts you. Nothing is decided until informed consent, and participation is voluntary at every step.