Dr. Vose on the Potential Utility of CAR T-Cell Therapy Across Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Julie M. Vose, MD, MBA, Neumann M. and Mildred E. Harris Professor, chief, Division of Oncology and Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, discusses the potential utility of CAR T-cell therapy across the non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) paradigm.

CAR T-cell therapy is approved for use in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and mantle cell lymphoma; however, CAR T-cell therapies are limited to clinical trials in all other subtypes of NHL, says Vose. Although each trial has specific eligibility criteria, CAR T-cell therapy is typically being evaluated for use in the third- or fourth-line settings for patients who have progressed on chemoimmunotherapy or other targeted agents, Vose explains. As such, it is difficult to predict where these products will be integrated into the paradigms if they move forward in clinical development.

However, comparative trials are needed to determine whether CAR T-cell therapy is more efficacious and safer vs other standard options for patients with NHL, Vose explains. Additionally, it is likely that CAR T-cell therapy will be evaluated in earlier lines of treatment for certain patient populations, such as high-risk DLBCL. Finally, long-term data from ongoing clinical trials are needed to determine whether the response associated with CAR T-cell therapy is durable and whether toxicity issues resolve in the long term, Vose concludes.