Dr. Dean on the Potential Role of Consolidative CAR T-Cell Therapy in MCL

Robert M. Dean, MD, assistant professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, member, Hematopoietic and Immune Cancer Biology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, physician, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic, discusses the potential role for consolidative CAR T-cell therapy in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

CAR T-cell therapy could be utilized as consolidative treatment for patients with MCL who achieve less than a complete response with frontline chemoimmunotherapy, says Dean. Historically, consolidative treatment has consisted of high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplant after induction therapy for younger, fitter patients with MCL.

Whether patients who achieve a deep molecular remission with undetectable minimal residual disease (MRD) require consolidative treatment remains an area of active clinical investigation, Dean explains. However, there may be rationale to suggest that CAR T-cell therapy could be a consolidative treatment for patients without the need for autologous transplant, Dean explains. Moreover, MRD testing could inform which patients could benefit from this approach rather than giving CAR T-cell therapy after clinical relapse or failure of BTK inhibitor therapy, concludes Dean.