Dr. Bachier on the Potential Benefits of Liso-Cel in DLBCL

Carlos R. Bachier, MD, director, blood and marrow transplant research, Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses the investigational CAR T-cell therapy lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

A biologics license application is currently under priority review by the FDA for liso-cel, a CD19-directed CAR T-cell product, says Bachier. 

During the 2020 European Hematology Association Annual Congress, findings from a study evaluating the safety and efficacy of liso-cel in patients who were monitored in the outpatient setting in the TRANSCEND NHL 001, TRANSCEND OUTREACH-007, and TRANSCEND-PILOT-017006 trials were presented.

Notably, CAR T-cell therapy is associated with a specific set of adverse effects (AEs), including cytokine release syndrome and neurologic toxicities, explains Bachier. However, liso-cel appears to have a relatively low incidence of late-onset AEs compared with other CAR T-cell products.

As such, liso-cel may have utility as an outpatient therapy for patients with DLBCL pending further investigation, concludes Bachier.