The chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy tisagenlecleucel showed measurable in vivo expansion in patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who had no measurable disease after bridging therapy, according to a study published in Blood Advances. The results were part of a post-hoc analysis of the JULIET trial.
Among a subgroup of the JULIET cohort, seven patients (5 women, 2 men; age range, 54-71 years) had a complete response (CR) to bridging therapy and no measurable disease. All patients demonstrated rapid expansion of tisagenlecleucel during the first 28 days after infusion, and CAR transgene levels were measurable up to two years post-infusion.
Durable response to tisagenlecleucel in those without measurable disease
All seven patients maintained a CR at three-month follow-up, and five patients did not have disease progression at more than 12 months of follow-up.
Four patients experienced cytokine release syndrome (CRS), including two who experienced grade 2/3 CRS. No patients required treatment for CRS. One patient experienced grade 1 neurotoxicity.
“These data provide preliminary evidence of tisagenlecleucel efficacy in patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL without detectable disease after bridging or salvage therapies and warrant further investigation of tisagenlecleucel as consolidative therapy in future trials,” the researchers concluded.
