Lori A. Leslie, MD, director of the Indolent Lymphoma and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Research Program at the John Theurer Cancer Center (JTCC) and assistant professor at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, discusses the benefits of CAR T-cell therapy programs for patients with hematologic malignancies and highlights JTCC’s success in implementing CAR T cell therapy.
Since its inception, the JTCC Lymphoma Division has been actively involved in the development of CAR T-cell therapies, Leslie said. Leslie explained that JTCC was involved in some of the first clinical trials of CAR T cell therapy for lymphoma patients, leading to FDA approval of CAR T cell therapy for third-line treatment of patients with large cell lymphoma. JTCC researchers then participated in a pivotal study comparing CAR T-cell therapy with standard high-dose chemotherapy plus an autologous stem cell transplant, Leslie said. Leslie said the study showed improvements in progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with high-risk relapsed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
Leslie noted that JTCC’s exploration of CAR T-cell therapies coincides with challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which complicates the implementation of CAR T-cell therapies in the outpatient setting. Despite these obstacles, the JTCC Lymphoma Division is actively pursuing research to formally investigate the feasibility of outpatient CAR T dosing, which could reduce extended hospital stays during treatment, Leslie said.
The success of these outpatient studies has prompted JTCC to participate in initiatives aimed at increasing access to CAR T-cell therapy, Leslie said. Leslie emphasized that treatment centers often face logistical challenges that require CAR T-cell therapy to be performed exclusively in a hospital setting. However, the increasing popularity of outpatient CAR T-cell therapy may make it more feasible for these centers to establish CAR T-cell programs.
Leslie noted that the JTCC Lymphoma Division is also participating in clinical trials exploring the use of CAR T-cell therapy in the first-line treatment of patients with large cell lymphoma. Leslie explained that the potential impact of CAR T-cell therapy is not limited to large B-cell lymphoma, as these products are also becoming increasingly popular in follicular and marginal zone lymphoma. Leslie concluded that as FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies continue to expand into various lymphoma subtypes, flexible delivery methods for these products can ensure that more eligible patients have access to this treatment.