Watanabe T. Emerging role of lisocabtagene maraleucel chimeric antigen receptor-T cell in nodal and gastrointestinal follicular lymphoma. World J Gastroenterol 2025; 31(45): 112336 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i45.112336]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Takuya Watanabe, MD, PhD, Director, Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Watanabe Internal Medicine Aoyama Clinic, 1-2-21 Aoyama, Nishi-ku, Niigata 9502002, Japan. nabetaku@dia-net.ne.jp
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Gastroenterology & Hepatology
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Editorial
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Dec 7, 2025 (publication date) through Dec 6, 2025
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World Journal of Gastroenterology
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1007-9327
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Watanabe T. Emerging role of lisocabtagene maraleucel chimeric antigen receptor-T cell in nodal and gastrointestinal follicular lymphoma. World J Gastroenterol 2025; 31(45): 112336 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i45.112336]
World J Gastroenterol. Dec 7, 2025; 31(45): 112336 Published online Dec 7, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i45.112336
Emerging role of lisocabtagene maraleucel chimeric antigen receptor-T cell in nodal and gastrointestinal follicular lymphoma
Takuya Watanabe
Takuya Watanabe, Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Watanabe Internal Medicine Aoyama Clinic, Niigata 9502002, Japan
Author contributions: Watanabe T solely contributed to this manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Takuya Watanabe, MD, PhD, Director, Department of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Watanabe Internal Medicine Aoyama Clinic, 1-2-21 Aoyama, Nishi-ku, Niigata 9502002, Japan. nabetaku@dia-net.ne.jp
Received: July 28, 2025 Revised: October 2, 2025 Accepted: October 31, 2025 Published online: December 7, 2025 Processing time: 130 Days and 1.1 Hours
Abstract
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.
Core Tip: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T therapy, particularly lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel), offers a promising option for patients with relapsed or refractory and relapsed follicular lymphoma (FL), demonstrating high response rates and a favorable safety profile in the TRANSCEND FL trial. Compared to other CAR-T products, liso-cel shows advantages in toxicity, logistics, and feasibility. This editorial emphasizes its relevance for gastrointestinal FL, a subgroup often underrepresented in studies, and calls for broader inclusion and real-world validation to optimize CAR-T use across FL subtypes.
