Non-Hodgkin lymphoma survivor thankful for clinical trial
October 07, 2025
Medically Reviewed | Last reviewed by and on October 07, 2025
When Ian Leybas was diagnosed with a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma called peripheral T-cell lymphoma in 2019, he and his wife educated themselves on the disease and looked up treatment options.
¡°We were being proactive, getting multiple opinions,¡± says Ian, who was 45 at the time.
They lived in southeast Oklahoma and visited three different hospitals before coming to MD Anderson on Oct. 21, 2019.
¡°MD Anderson was more aggressive in how they wanted to approach the cancer treatment. I¡¯m a finance guy, so I understand statistics. I liked that MD Anderson wanted to go all in and do all that they could to treat the cancer,¡± Ian recalls. ¡°Plus, they¡¯re the upper echelon when it comes to cancer treatment. So, I knew that¡¯s where I wanted to be.¡±
Starting non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment
The cancer was diagnosed as stage II. Lymphoma specialist , wanted to start Ian on six cycles of a chemotherapy regimen called CHOEP, which included five different drugs. Then he¡¯d have a stem cell transplant under the care of stem cell transplant specialist
¡°My care team said since I was young and strong, I was a good candidate for this aggressive treatment because I could tolerate it,¡± says Ian.
His son was in junior high, and his daughter was a senior in high school. Ian was transparent and made sure to educate them about his treatment plan, so they would be prepared for the long process.
¡°It was tough because I knew there would be things I would miss, but my family was good,¡± he says. ¡°And I wasn¡¯t struggling mentally. I just looked at it as, ¡®I have to go to work. This is what I have to do to get better.¡¯¡±
Ian completed chemo and had an autologous stem cell transplant on Feb. 20, 2020. This type of transplant uses his own healthy stem cells instead of a donor¡¯s stem cells.
¡°It was tough,¡± Ian says of the treatment. ¡°I lost 50 pounds and all of my hair. I stayed in the hospital for 40 days. I came home in March. All of my scans were good. I was happy to be done with treatment.¡±
Enrolling in a clinical trial after cancer relapse
For 1 ? years, Ian was in remission. But a routine scan in September 2021 showed that the cancer had relapsed. Relapsed lymphoma is lymphoma that comes back after responding to treatment.
His doctors told him about the standard treatment that is used for relapsed T-cell lymphoma, but that it often doesn¡¯t work and when it does the benefits usually only last for a short time. They also told him about some clinical trials he might be eligible for, including one using CAR T cell therapy to treat relapsed lymphoma.
¡°I was really encouraged by my doctors and valued how upfront they were with me,¡± says Ian. ¡°We talked about backup options if the standard treatment failed, such as another transplant using donor stem cells, which would be tougher than the first. The stem cell process was hard on me, and I truly didn¡¯t want to go through that again. So, I was very interested in clinical trials.¡±
Ian read about CAR T cell therapy and how it had good results when used to treat other types of cancer. It was still being tested in trials for relapsed T-cell lymphoma treatment.
¡°CAR T cell therapy would also leave me options to do other clinical trials if my results weren¡¯t favorable,¡± he says. ¡°I was excited about it. So, I joined the clinical trial.¡±
Complete remission after CAR T cell therapy clinical trial
Ian spent several weeks in the hospital to complete the CAR T cell therapy.
¡°I spent Christmas, New Year¡¯s, my birthday and my wife¡¯s birthday in the hospital,¡± he says. ¡°My wife was there with me. And the kids came to visit during the holidays. We ordered food and watched football on New Year¡¯s Day.¡±
After the infusion of the T cells, Ian said he had a fever, sweats and body aches. After 24 hours, his side effects had gone away.
¡°I had a team of doctors who would come by like every 30 minutes to check on me, and I was getting scans and tests,¡± he says. ¡°But I was feeling fine.¡±
About a month later, after Ian had recovered from the infusion, his scans showed he was in complete remission.
¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it,¡± he says. ¡°With the initial treatment of the chemo and stem cell transplant, I lost 50 pounds and all of my hair. And then with the CAR T cell therapy, I had a fever for like 24 hours and got the same ¨C if not better ¨C results. It was phenomenal.¡±
Life after non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment
Today, more than three years after the infusion, Ian is still in remission. He believes his faith, positive attitude and support from family, friends and employer helped him get through treatment.
He enjoys professional fishing and says he plans on doing more of it when he retires in a few years. Right now, he¡¯s focused on experiencing as many family activities as possible.
¡°You always think you¡¯re bulletproof until you experience something like cancer,¡± he says. ¡°So, it makes the little things in life that much sweeter.¡±
He encourages anyone facing a new cancer diagnosis to ask their doctor about clinical trials.
¡°We¡¯re still learning about cancer,¡± he says. ¡°When I joined a clinical trial at MD Anderson, my thought was, ¡®if it doesn¡¯t work, at a minimum, maybe we can learn something through the process that can help other patients in the future.¡¯¡±
or call 1-877-632-6789.