New advances in the management of blood cancers presented at the ASH congress

Villejuif, 8 December 2025

New advances in the management of blood cancers presented at the ASH congress

Physician–researchers from Gustave Roussy took part in 61 studies presented this year at the annual congress of the American Society of Haematology. The first results of the Olympia-3 study, assessing a new bispecific antibody in first-line treatment of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, have been presented during an oral session.

Held in Orlando, Florida, the 67th American Society of Haematology Congress bring together, from 6 to 9 December, haematologists, researchers, industry professionals and patient associations from around the world to share updates on the latest therapeutic advances in the management of blood disorders.

This year again, Gustave Roussy maintains a strong presence at this congress, the most prestigious global event in haematology. A total of 61 studies involving the Institute have been selected for this edition, including four that are directly presented by a Gustave Roussy haematology expert. The research topics range from fertility management in patients treated with cell therapy to new targeted immunotherapies for multiple myeloma.

Very promising results in lymphomas

Among these studies, Dr Jean-Marie Michot presented the first results of the phase III Olympia-3 study, concerning the combination of an innovative immunotherapy with standard chemotherapy as first-line treatment in patients with previously untreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

DLBCL is an aggressive cancer of the lymph nodes and B lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell essential to the immune system. The standard treatment combines chemotherapy (CHOP) with a monoclonal antibody targeting the CD20 protein, rituximab, which helps the immune system recognise and destroy B lymphocytes expressing CD20. However, despite these advances, some patients do not respond or relapse, making the search for new therapeutic approaches essential.

The Olympia-3 study evaluates the combination of CHOP with a bispecific antibody, odronextamab, which redirects T lymphocytes to kill malignant B lymphocytes, directly activating the immune system against the cancer. Early-phase data show that this combination was generally manageable, with no new safety signals.

Two dose levels (80 and 160 mg) were evaluated, and the group receiving the higher dose of odronextamab demonstrated a 100% complete response rate. The higher dose was selected for further investigation.

Expertise of the Haematology Department

In addition, three other studies were presented in poster format by experts from Gustave Roussy. Dr Tereza Coman reported on a comparison of different strategies aimed at preventing graft-versus-host disease after bone marrow transplantation in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia and myelodysplastic syndromes. Researcher Isabelle Plo discussed the role of mitochondria, the cell’s energy centres, in predisposing to myeloproliferative syndromes linked to a chromosome 14 anomaly, with the aim of better understanding the biological mechanisms that drive the emergence of blood cancers. Finally, Dr Jean-Baptiste Micol presented the results of the ALFA-PPP study, which examined how adult patients with TP53-mutated acute myeloid leukaemia are treated and how their disease evolves over time in real-life clinical conditions.

The Haematology Department at Gustave Roussy treats adult patients with blood, bone marrow, and lymph node diseases, including acute and chronic myeloid leukaemias, acute and chronic lymphoid leukaemias, non-Hodgkin lymphomas, Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, myeloproliferative syndromes, essential thrombocythaemia, polycythaemia vera, myelofibrosis, mastocytosis, myelodysplastic syndromes, and myelomonocytic leukaemias.

Autologous and allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplants, as well as CAR-T cell procedures, can be performed at Gustave Roussy. CAR-T cells are the patient’s own T lymphocytes, reprogrammed in the laboratory to recognise and destroy cancer cells. These therapies have already shown remarkable effectiveness in several blood cancers that are resistant to conventional treatments. Gustave Roussy has acquired a production device for these cells in its cellular therapy laboratory.