CAR T in patients with large B-cell lymphoma not fit for autologous transplant

CAR T-cell therapy was found to be well tolerated in patients with large B-cell lymphoma who were deemed unfit for autologous stem cell transplant, despite historically poor outcomes for this patient population. Researchers evaluated 404 patients with refractory/relapsed LBCL who were approved for treatment with axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) and tisagenlecleucel (tis-cel). Of these 20% were unfit for ASCT on the basis of age, for fraility, or due to comorbidities. Interestingly, the drop-out rate from approval to infusion was higher for this group (34.6% vs. 23.5% for ASCT-fit patients), and these patients were more likely to receive tisa-cel vs. axi-cel.