Yes — lymphoma is one of the most active areas of immunotherapy research in oncology. CAR-T cell therapy was first approved for lymphoma (Yescarta, Kymriah, and Breyanzi for large B-cell lymphomas), and current trials are studying next-generation CAR-T products, earlier use of CAR-T in the treatment sequence, and CAR-T for additional lymphoma subtypes including mantle cell and follicular. Bispecific antibodies like epcoritamab (Epkinly), glofitamab (Columvi), and mosunetuzumab (Lunsumio) are also in active trials across multiple lymphoma types, alongside checkpoint inhibitors for Hodgkin lymphoma and combinations testing how to overcome resistance to existing immunotherapies. If you've been treated with one immunotherapy, that doesn't disqualify you from all immunotherapy trials — many studies are specifically designed for patients who have progressed on prior treatment.

Yes, and this is worth asking about before you decide a trial is out of reach. Most trials cover the cost of the experimental treatment itself and any study-specific tests; standard-of-care costs are usually billed to insurance as they would be outside a trial. Many sponsors and trial sites also offer travel reimbursement, lodging stipends, or both — the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Lazarex Cancer Foundation, and the Patient Advocate Foundation all run financial assistance programs specifically for clinical trial participants, and individual trial sites often have their own patient support programs. Ask the trial coordinator at the site you're considering for a written summary of what's covered and what isn't, so you know the real out-of-pocket picture before you commit.

There are about 748 lymphoma trials actively recruiting in the United States today, but the right one for you depends on your specific subtype, stage, prior treatments, and how far you're willing to travel. ClinicalTrials.gov is the official federal registry and lists every trial, but it's built for clinicians and can be hard to filter as a patient. North Trials matches you to current lymphoma trials based on your diagnosis and location, and you can also ask your oncologist about studies open at your treatment center or at the nearest NCI-designated cancer center, which typically have broader trial portfolios than community practices.

The main benefit is access — to treatments that may be years away from approval, and to the intensive monitoring (more frequent scans, blood work, and physician visits) that comes with trial participation. The main risks are the same as any cancer treatment: side effects, some of which may not yet be fully understood for a new drug. In most cancer trials, you will not be given a placebo alone — most lymphoma studies compare an experimental treatment against the current best standard of care, or add the new drug to that standard. You can leave a trial at any time, for any reason, without affecting your eligibility for other treatments or your relationship with your medical team. The decision is personal, but for many patients with lymphoma, particularly those whose disease has returned, a trial is one of the best options worth considering rather than a last resort.

Eligibility varies trial by trial, but most lymphoma studies look at the same core factors: your specific lymphoma subtype (DLBCL, follicular, mantle cell, Hodgkin, T-cell, etc.), how many prior treatments you've had, how recently your last treatment ended, your overall health and performance status, organ function (blood counts, kidney, liver, heart), and sometimes specific tumor markers like CD20, CD30, or genetic features. Some trials are designed for newly diagnosed patients; others specifically enroll people whose disease has come back or stopped responding to prior therapy. Not qualifying for one trial doesn't mean none are open to you — it just means that specific protocol isn't a fit, and a thorough search usually surfaces multiple options.