Emerging role of lisocabtagene maraleucel chimeric antigen receptor-T cell in nodal and gastrointestinal follicular lymphoma

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy has emerged as a transformative treatment option for relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL), particularly in patients in whom multiple lines of conventional therapy have failed. Among cluster of differentiation (CD) 19-targeted products, lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) offers distinct advantages owing to its defined CD4+/CD8+ composition and favorable safety profile. Compared with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, FL patients consistently achieve higher overall response rates and exhibit lower rates of severe cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome, supporting the rationale for expanding CAR-T cell therapy in this subgroup. This editorial review the current CD19-directed CAR-T cell therapy landscape, focusing on the pivotal TRANSCEND FL trial, which demonstrated a 97% overall response rate and 94% complete response rate, with a minimal incidence of severe CRS or neurotoxicity. Comparative insights highlight the advantages of liso-cel over other CAR-T cell products, such as axicabtagene ciloleucel and tisagenlecleucel in terms of toxicity, logistics, and outpatient feasibility. The implications for gastrointestinal FL (GI-FL), a subtype often excluded from CAR-T cell studies, were also addressed, emphasizing the need to include advanced-stage GI-FL cases in future evaluations. With ongoing improvements in manufacturing, accessibility, and biomarker development, liso-cel is well-positioned to become a central component in the evolving treatment paradigm for FL. However, challenges remain regarding durability of response, cost, and access, which warrant careful discussion.