Articles related to CAR T-CELL THERAPIES

Payal Goala, MS, BS, a pre-doctoral fellow at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, presented research findings at the 64th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), held December 10–13 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her work may help address neutropenia and cytokine release syndrome, two serious side effects of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. The research is being hailed as a “significant advancement” in the knowledge of these toxicities and is expected to help patients receiving CAR-T therapy live better lives.

The diagnosis and treatment of mantle cell lymphoma are covered in this podcast by Jonathon Cohen, MD, MS, Associate Professor, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine. He also discusses how BTK inhibitors and CAR T-cell therapy are changing the treatment landscape and what he expects will be presented at upcoming conferences.

An important development in patient treatment occurs when indolent lymphomas develop an aggressive histology, which necessitates a shift in therapy. Although the prevalence of transformation is generally falling, it is still a very dangerous situation with a poor prognosis when compared to patients who do not have transformation. CAR-T has helped, but overall, the prognosis for patients with transformed lymphomas is still quite poor, especially if hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) or cellular therapy methods are not accessible or are ineffective. The top priority at this time should be to enroll the patient in a clinical trial.

Despite being mostly low-grade, cytokine release syndrome, skin-related events, and dysgeusia were frequent side effects of talquetamab therapy. Patients who had multiple myeloma that was relapsed or resistant after receiving substantial prior treatment had a significant response to talquetamab.

With the initial attempt at salvage therapy, the median PFS was 3.5 months. The objective response rate (ORR) for these patients was 43.4%, with strict complete responses (9.2%), very good partial responses (11.8%), and partial responses (22.4%) all being achieved by patients. A significantly longer median OS of 29.9 months compared to 14.6 months for patients who did not achieve an objective response was associated with achieving a partial response or better with the first line of salvage therapy.

CAR T-cell therapy has changed the treatment paradigm for relapsed/refractory aggressive B-cell NHL. The approach has seen strong response rates and durable remission in those whose disease has progressed despite multiple prior treatments. This review outlines current indications for CAR T-cell therapy, major toxicities, novel CARs under investigation, CARs for various hematologic malignancies, and future directions.