Dr. Wang on the Impact of KTE-X19 on Outcomes in Higher- Versus Lower-Risk MCL

Michael Wang, MD, professor in the Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the safety and effectiveness of the autologous anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy KTE-X19 in patients with higher- versus lower-risk mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).

Results from the primary analysis of the phase 2 ZUMA-2 trial showed that KTE-X19 had comparable pharmacology and clinical outcomes in patients with higher versus lower-risk MCL defined by TP53 mutation or Ki-67 PI, says Wang. This is promising, because the goal is to develop a therapy that will not discriminate against high-risk factors, explains Wang.

No statistically significant difference was observed with regard to the complete response rate and the overall response rate between the 2 groups, says Wang. If this were not the case, and differentiation was noticed in the results, this would suggest that the CAR T-cell therapy is no different than treatments of the past, such as chemotherapy and targeted therapy, adds Wang. KTE-X19 may offer the ability to overcome challenges faced with effectively treating patients with higher-risk MCL, concludes Wang