Turtle, Cameron J

Abstract Brexucabtagene autoleucel (brexu-cel) is a chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy approved for relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (R/R MCL). Here, we report real-world effectiveness and safety outcomes of brexu-cel in a prospective study of patients with R/R MCL, including subgroups based on prior treatment with Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor, bendamustine, or autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (auto-HCT) and number of prior therapy lines, using Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research registry data. A total of 476 patients with R/R MCL who received brexu-cel between July 2020 and December 2022 were included in the analysis. With a median follow-up of 13.5 months, the overall response rate was 91% and complete response rate was 82%. One-year overall survival and progression-free survival rates were 76% and 63%, respectively. One-year cumulative incidence of nonrelapse mortality was 8%. Prior auto-HCT was associated with better duration of response within 6 months after infusion (hazard ratio [HR], 0.49; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.28-0.85) but greater risk of immune effector cell–associated neurotoxicity syndrome (odds ratio [OR], 1.66; 95% CI, 1.06-2.60). Prior bendamustine was associated with increased risk of prolonged thrombocytopenia (OR, 1.90; 95% CI, 1.13-3.21). In patients with 1 to 2 prior therapy lines, relapse or progression was less frequent compared with those with ≥3 prior lines (HR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.42-1.00). Collectively, our results suggest that real-world outcomes with brexu-cel were consistent with those of the ZUMA-2 trial, regardless of prior therapy type or number of prior therapy lines.

Abstract The relative efficacy of autologous hematopoietic cell transplant (auto-HCT) vs chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who achieve a partial remission (PR) after salvage chemotherapy is not known. Using the Center for International Blood & Marrow Transplant Research registry database, we identified adult patients with DLBCL who received either an auto-HCT (2013-2019) or CAR-T treatment with axicabtagene ciloleucel (2018-2019) while in a PR by computed tomography or positron emission tomography scan. We compared the clinical outcomes between the 2 cohorts using univariable and multivariable regression models after adjustment for relevant baseline and clinical factors. In the univariable analysis, the 2-year progression-free survival (52% vs 42%; P = .1) and the rate of 100-day nonrelapse mortality (4% vs 2%; P = .3) were not different between the 2 cohorts, but consolidation with auto-HCT was associated with a lower rate of relapse/progression (40% vs 53%; P = .05) and a superior overall survival (OS) (69% vs 47%; P = .004) at 2 years. In the multivariable regression analysis, treatment with auto-HCT was associated with a significantly lower risk of relapse/progression rate (hazard ratio = 1.49; P = .01) and a superior OS (hazard ratio = 1.63; P = .008). In patients with DLBCL in a PR after salvage therapy, treatment with auto-HCT was associated with a lower incidence of relapse and a superior OS compared with CAR-T. These data support the role of auto-HCT as the standard of care in transplant-eligible patients with relapsed DLBCL in PR after salvage therapy.