Dr. Tzachanis on Data With Lisocabtagene Maraleucel in Lymphoma

Dimitrios Tzachanis, MD, PhD, hematologist/medical oncologist and assistant professor of medicine, University of California, San Diego Health, discusses data with lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) in large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL), as well as the differences between axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel; Yescarta) and tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah).

Data from the phase I TRANSCEND NHL 001 study showed that liso-cel led to an objective response rate of 73% and a complete response rate of 53% in patients with relapsed/refractory LBCL who received ≥2 prior therapies. The CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy can cause cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity, similar to axi-cel and tisagenlecleucel. However, these agents have never been compared side by side, making it hard to draw any conclusions about which product might be more effective or toxic, says Tzachanis.

There are fewer production problems with axi-cel as well, so it may be recommended over tisagenlecleucel when availability is a concern. However, the decision between axi-cel and tisagenlecleucel also depends on institutional experience, concludes Tzachanis.