Lymphomas: Our Clinical Trials

In addition to providing excellent care, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center is constantly working to develop new and improved treatments for people with lymphoma who are not helped by standard treatments. This research is conducted through our clinical trials program.

Our physicians lead a large number of clinical trials that test new drugs and drug combinations, look for genetic factors that are linked to lymphoma, and explore other strategies for improving treatment for both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Our clinical trials are based on our growing understanding of how lymphoma is distinctive from other cancers. This research is increasingly “translational,” bringing discoveries made in the research lab directly to the patient.

This activity means that choosing Memorial Sloan-Kettering for your care may give you access to new treatment options before they are widely available elsewhere. Our clinical research team is highly experienced in selecting patients who are mostly likely to benefit from a particular investigational therapy and can guide you through the process of selecting the most appropriate clinical trial.

Our research efforts fall into the following general categories:

New chemotherapy approaches

Our physicians are investigating the effectiveness of various combinations of chemotherapeutic agents and other drugs for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Pathway-directed (biologic) therapies

Our investigators are testing drugs designed to interrupt or inhibit the molecular processes tumor cells require to grow and spread.

Immune strategies

Memorial Sloan-Kettering has an active immunotherapy program testing investigational drugs that encourage the body's immune system to identify and react against cancer cells.

Tumor-directed therapies (radiolabeled antibodies)

Memorial Sloan-Kettering researchers are investigating the effectiveness of antibodies — proteins that specifically target cancer cells and carry radioactive molecules. These drugs can potentially kill cancer cells with radiation while minimizing exposure to the rest of the body.

Here you can find a continually updated listing of Memorial Sloan-Kettering's current clinical trials for patients with lymphomas. To learn more about a study, choose from the list below.

Marginal Zone Lymphoma

Follicular Lymphoma

Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL)

Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Hodgkin Lymphoma

Mantle Cell Lymphoma

Burkitt's Lymphoma

T Cell Lymphoma

HIV+ Lymphoma

Waldenstrom's Macroglobulinemia

Adult T Cell Leukemia Lymphoma

Phase I Trials

cancer (KAN-ser)

A term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control and can invade nearby tissues. Cancer cells can also spread to other parts of the body through the blood and lymph systems. There are several main types of cancer. Carcinoma is a cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover internal organs. Sarcoma is a cancer that begins in bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels, or other connective or supportive tissue. Leukemia is a cancer that starts in blood-forming tissue such as the bone marrow, and causes large numbers of abnormal blood cells to be produced and enter the blood. Lymphoma and multiple myeloma are cancers that begin in the cells of the immune system. Central nervous system cancers are cancers that begin in the tissues of the brain and spinal cord. Also called malignancy.