Dr. Cohen on the Safety Profile of Cilta-Cel in Multiple Myeloma

Adam D. Cohen, MD, assistant professor of medicine, director, Myeloma Immunotherapy, University of Pennsylvania, discusses the safety profile of ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel) in patients with multiple myeloma, based on data from the phase 2 CARTITUDE-2 study (NCT04133636). 

The main hematologic toxicities observed with cilta-cel on the study were similar to those reported in the phase 1/2 CARTITUDE-1 trial (NCT03548207); they included neutropenia, anemia, and thrombocytopenia, according to Cohen. These toxicities are most often associated with lymphodepletion conditioning therapy, as well as the CAR T-cell therapy itself, Cohen explains.

The rates of grade 3/4 thrombocytopenia and anemia appeared to be less than what was reported on CARTITUDE-1, and prolonged grade 3/4 cytopenias also occurred less frequently; this may be because the CARTITUDE-2 study enrolled a less heavily pretreated population, Cohen concludes.