Dr. Mukherjee on the Implications of the FDA Approval of Second-line Liso-cel in LBCL

Akash Mukherjee, MD, hematologist, oncologist, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, (UAMS), assistant professor, Division of Hematology/Oncology, the Winthrop Cancer Institute, the UAMS College of Medicine, discusses the implications of the FDA approval of lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel; Breyanzi) large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL)

In June 2022, the FDA approved the use of liso-cel as second-line therapy for adult patients with LBCL, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified (including DLBCL arising from indolent lymphoma), high-grade B-cell lymphoma, primary mediastinal LBCL, and follicular lymphoma grade 3B.

The CAR T-cell therapy was supported in part by results from the phase 3 TRANSFORM trial (NCT03575351), Mukherjee says. TRANSFORM randomly assigned patients to standard-of-care salvage chemotherapy vs liso-cel, Mukherjee says. Moreover, enrollment included patients who were refractory to frontline chemotherapy or patients who experienced early relapse within 12 months of previous chemotherapy treatment, Mukherjee explains.

Patients in the liso-cel arm experienced an improved overall response rate and event-free survival vs those given chemotherapy, Mukherjee continues. Based on these results, clinicians now utilize liso-cel as a second-line therapy for appropriate patients, Mukherjee concludes.