Risk of Second Tumors and T-Cell Lymphoma after CAR T-Cell Therapy.

BACKGROUND: The risk of second tumors after chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, especially the risk of T-cell neoplasms related to viral vector integration, is an emerging concern. METHODS: We reviewed our clinical experience with adoptive cellular CAR T-cell therapy at our institution since 2016 and ascertained the occurrence of second tumors. In one case of secondary T-cell lymphoma, a broad array of molecular, genetic, and cellular techniques were used to interrogate the tumor, the CAR T cells, and the normal hematopoietic cells in the patient. RESULTS: A total of 724 patients who had received T-cell therapies at our center were included in the study. A lethal T-cell lymphoma was identified in a patient who had received axicabtagene ciloleucel therapy for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, and both lymphomas were deeply profiled. Each lymphoma had molecularly distinct immunophenotypes and genomic profiles, but both were positive for Epstein-Barr virus and were associated with DNMT3A and TET2 mutant clonal hematopoiesis. No evidence of oncogenic retroviral integration was found with the use of multiple techniques. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight the rarity of second tumors and provide a framework for defining clonal relationships and viral vector monitoring. (Funded by the National Cancer Institute and others.).

A phase 1 clinical trial of NKTR-255 with CD19-22 CAR T-cell therapy for refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

ABSTRACT: Although chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell (CAR-T) therapy has revolutionized the treatment of B-cell malignancies, many patients relapse and therefore strategies to improve antitumor immunity are needed. We previously designed a novel autologous bispecific CAR targeting CD19 and CD22 (CAR19-22), which was well tolerated and associated with high response rates but relapse was common. Interleukin-15 (IL15) induces proliferation of diverse immune cells and can augment lymphocyte trafficking. Here, we report the results of a phase 1 clinical trial of the first combination of a novel recombinant polymer-conjugated IL15 receptor agonist (NKTR-255), with CAR19-22, in adults with relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Eleven patients were enrolled, 9 of whom successfully received CAR19-22 followed by NKTR-255. There were no dose-limiting toxicities, with transient fever and myelosuppression as the most common possibly related toxicities. We observed favorable efficacy with 8 of 9 patients (89%) achieving measurable residual disease-negative remission. At 12 months, progression-free survival for NKTR-255 was double that of historical controls (67% vs 38%). We performed correlative analyses to investigate the effects of IL15 receptor agonism. Cytokine profiling showed significant increases in IL15 and the chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL10. The increase in chemokines was associated with decreases in absolute lymphocyte counts and CD8+ CAR T cells in the blood and 10-fold increases in cerebrospinal fluid CAR-T cells, suggesting lymphocyte trafficking to tissue. Combining NKTR-255 with CAR19-22 was safe, feasible, and associated with high rates of durable responses. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT03233854.

CD22-directed CAR T-cell therapy for large B-cell lymphomas progressing after CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy: a dose-finding phase 1 study.

BACKGROUND: Outcomes are poor for patients with large B-cell lymphoma who relapse after CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy (CAR19). CD22 is a nearly universally expressed B-cell surface antigen and the efficacy of a CD22-directed CAR T-cell therapy (CAR22) in large B-cell lymphoma is unknown, which was what we aimed to examine in this study. METHODS: In this single centre, open-label, dose-escalation phase 1 trial, we intravenously administered CAR22 at two dose levels (1 million and 3 million CAR22-positive T cells per kg of bodyweight) to adult patients (aged ≥18 years) who relapsed after CAR19 or had CD19-negative large B-cell lymphoma. The primary endpoints were manufacturing feasibility, safety measured by the incidence and severity of adverse events and dose-limiting toxicities, and identification of the maximum tolerated dose (ie, the recommended phase 2 dose). This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04088890) and is active, but closed for enrolment. FINDINGS: From Oct 17, 2019, to Oct 19, 2022, a total of 41 patients were assessed for eligibility; however, one patient withdrew. 40 patients underwent leukapheresis and 38 (95%) had CAR T-cell products manufactured successfully. The median age was 65 years (range 25-84), 17 (45%) were women, 32 (84%) had elevated pretreatment lactate dehydrogenase, 11 (29%) had refractory disease to all previous therapies, and patients had received a median of four lines of previous therapy (range 3-8). Of the 38 patients treated, 37 (97%) had relapsed after previous CAR19. The identified maximum tolerated dose was 1 million CAR T cells per kg. Of 29 patients who received the maximum tolerated dose, no patients developed a dose-limiting toxicity or grade 3 or higher cytokine release syndrome, immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome, or immune effector cell-associated haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis-like syndrome. INTERPRETATION: This trial identifies CD22 as an immunotherapeutic target in large B-cell lymphoma and demonstrates the durable clinical activity of CAR22 in patients with disease progression after CAR19 therapy. Although these findings are promising, it is essential to recognise that this is a phase 1 dose-finding study. Further investigations are warranted to establish the long-term efficacy and to delineate the patient subgroups that will derive the most benefit from this therapeutic approach. FUNDING: National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Stanford Cancer Institute, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Lymph & Co, and the European Hematology Association.

Improved outcomes for relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma after autologous transplantation in the era of novel agents.

The treatment landscape of relapsed/refractory (R/R) classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) has evolved significantly over the past decade after the approval of brentuximab vedotin (BV) and the programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitors. We evaluated how outcomes and practice patterns have changed for patients with R/R cHL who underwent autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) at our institution from 2011 to 2020 (N = 183) compared with those from 2001 to 2010 (N = 159) and evaluated prognostic factors for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in both eras. OS was superior in the modern era with a trend toward lower nonrelapse mortality beyond 2 years after transplant. Among patients who progressed after AHCT, 4-year postprogression survival increased from 43.3% to 71.4% in the modern era, reflecting increasing use of BV and the PD-1 inhibitors. In multivariable analysis for patients that underwent transplant in the modern era, age ≥45 years, primary refractory disease, and lack of complete remission pre-AHCT were associated with inferior PFS, whereas receipt of a PD-1 inhibitor-based regimen pre-AHCT was associated with superior PFS. Extranodal disease at relapse was associated with inferior OS. Our study demonstrates improved survival for R/R cHL after AHCT in the modern era attributed to more effective salvage regimens allowing for better disease control pre-AHCT and improved outcomes for patients who progressed after AHCT. Excellent outcomes were observed with PD-1 inhibitor-based salvage regimens pre-AHCT and support a randomized trial evaluating immunotherapy in the second line setting.

Management of post-autologous transplant relapse in patients with T-cell lymphomas.

Autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT) is often used as a consolidation for patients with peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) due to the poor prognosis associated with this heterogenous group of disorders. However, a significant number of patients will experience post-AHCT disease relapse. Here, we report a retrospective study of consecutive 124 patients with PTCLs who underwent AHCT from 2008 to 2020. With a median follow-up of 6.01 years following AHCT, 49 patients (40%) experienced disease relapse. As expected, more patients who were not in first complete remission experienced post-AHCT relapse. Following relapse, majority of the patients (70%) receiving systemic therapies intended as bridging to curative allogeneic HCT. However, only 18 (53%) patients eventually underwent allogeneic HCT. The estimated 3-year OS among patients proceeding to allogeneic HCT was 72% (95% CI 46%-87%). Our report details the pattern of post-AHCT relapse and the management of relapsed disease using different therapeutic modalities.

Detection of Aberrant CD58 Expression in a Wide Spectrum of Lymphoma Subtypes: Implications for Treatment Resistance.

CD58 or lymphocyte function-associated antigen-3, is a ligand for CD2 receptors on T and NK cells and is required for their activation and target cell killing. We recently showed a trend toward higher frequency of CD58 aberrations in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who progressed on chimeric antigen receptor-T-cell treatment compared with those who responded. Given that CD58 status may be an important measure of T-cell-mediated therapy failure, we developed a CD58 immunohistochemical assay and evaluated CD58 status in 748 lymphomas. Our results show that CD58 protein expression is downregulated in a significant proportion of all subtypes of B-, T-, and NK-cell lymphomas. CD58 loss is significantly related to poor prognostic indicators in DLBCL and to ALK and DUSP22 rearrangements in anaplastic large-cell lymphoma. However, it is not associated with overall or progression-free survival in any of the lymphoma subtypes. As eligibility for chimeric antigen receptor-T-cell therapy is being extended to a broader spectrum of lymphomas, mechanisms of resistance, such as target downregulation and CD58 loss, may limit therapeutic success. CD58 status is therefore an important biomarker in lymphoma patients who may benefit from next-generation T-cell-mediated therapies or other novel approaches that mitigate immune escape.

CD22-directed CAR T-cell therapy induces complete remissions in CD19-directed CAR-refractory large B-cell lymphoma.

The prognosis of patients with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) that progresses after treatment with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy targeting CD19 (CAR19) is poor. We report on the first 3 consecutive patients with autologous CAR19-refractory LBCL who were treated with a single infusion of autologous 1 × 106 CAR+ T cells per kilogram targeting CD22 (CAR22) as part of a phase 1 dose-escalation study. CAR22 therapy was relatively well tolerated, without any observed nonhematologic adverse events higher than grade 2. After infusion, all 3 patients achieved complete remission, with all responses continuing at the time of last follow-up (mean, 7.8 months; range, 6-9.3). Circulating CAR22 cells demonstrated robust expansion (peak range, 85.4-350 cells per microliter), and persisted beyond 3 months in all patients with continued radiographic responses and corresponding decreases in circulating tumor DNA beyond 6 months after infusion. Further accrual at a higher dose level in this phase 1 dose-escalation study is ongoing and will explore the role of this therapy in patients in whom prior CAR T-cell therapies have failed. This trial is registered on clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT04088890.

Outcomes with Autologous or Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with Plasma Cell Leukemia in the Era of Novel Agents.

Plasma cell leukemia (PCL) is a rare and very aggressive plasma cell disorder. The optimal treatment approach, including whether to pursue an autologous (auto) or allogeneic (allo) stem cell transplantation (SCT) is not clear, given the lack of clinical trial-based evidence. This single-center retrospective study describes the outcomes of 16 patients with PCL (n = 14 with primary PCL) who underwent either autoSCT (n = 9) or alloSCT (n = 7) for PCL in the era of novel agents, between 2007 and 2019. The median age of the cohort was 58 years. High-risk cytogenetics were found in 50% of the patients. All patients received a proteasome inhibitor and/or immunomodulatory drug-based regimen before transplantation. At the time of transplantation, 10 patients (62%) obtained at least a very good partial response (VGPR). The response after autoSCT (3 months) was at least a VGPR in 6 patients (67%; complete response [CR] in 5). All patients undergoing alloSCT achieved a CR at 3 months. Maintenance therapy was provided to 5 patients (56%) after autoSCT. The median progression-free survival after transplantation was 6 months in the autoSCT group, compared with 18 months in the alloSCT group (P = .09), and median overall survival (OS) after transplantation in the 2 groups was 19 months and 40 months, respectively (P = .41). The median OS from diagnosis was 27 months and 49 months, respectively (P = .50). Of the 11 deaths, 10 patients (91%) died of relapsed disease. AlloSCT was not observed to offer any significant survival advantage over autoSCT in PCL, in agreement with recent reports, and relapse remains the primary cause of death in these patients.

A novel antibody-cell conjugation method to enhance and characterize cytokine-induced killer cells.

BACKGROUND: Cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells are an ex vivo-expanded cellular therapy product with potent anti-tumor activity in a subset of patients with solid and hematologic malignancies. We hypothesize that directing CIK cells to a specific tumor antigen will enhance CIK cell anti-tumor cytotoxicity. METHODS: We present a newly developed method for affixing antibodies directly to cell surface proteins. First, we evaluated the anti-tumor potential of CIK cells after affixing tumor-antigen targeting monoclonal antibodies. Second, we evaluated whether this antibody-conjugation method can profile the surface proteome of CIK cells. RESULTS: We demonstrated that affixing rituximab or daratumumab to CIK cells enhances cytotoxic killing of multiple lymphoma cell lines in vitro. These 'armed' CIK cells exhibited enhanced intracellular signaling after engaging tumor targets. Cell surface proteome profiling suggested mechanisms by which antibody-armed CIK cells concurrently activated multiple surface proteins, leading to enhanced cytolytic activity. Our surface proteome analysis indicated that CIK cells display enhanced protein signatures indicative of immune responses, cellular activation and leukocyte migration. CONCLUSIONS: Here, we characterize the cell surface proteome of CIK cells using a novel methodology that can be rapidly applied to other cell types. Our study also demonstrates that without genetic modification CIK cells can be rapidly armed with monoclonal antibodies, which endows them with high specificity to kill tumor targets.

Clinical features of neurotoxicity after CD19 CAR T-cell therapy in mantle cell lymphoma.

ABSTRACT: CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has proven highly effective for treating relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). However, immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) remains a significant concern. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical, radiological, and laboratory correlatives associated with ICANS development after CD19 CAR T-cell therapy in patients with MCL. All patients (N = 26) who received standard-of-care brexucabtagene autoleucel until July 2022 at our institution were evaluated. Laboratory and radiographic correlatives including brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalogram (EEG) were evaluated to determine the clinical impact of ICANS. Seventeen (65%) patients experienced ICANS after treatment, with a median onset on day 6. Ten (38%) patients experienced severe (grade ≥3) ICANS. All patients with ICANS had antecedent cytokine release syndrome (CRS), but no correlation was observed between ICANS severity and CRS grade. Overall, 92% of EEGs revealed interictal changes; no patients experienced frank seizures because of ICANS. In total, 86% of patients with severe ICANS with postinfusion brain MRIs demonstrated acute neuroimaging findings not seen on pretreatment MRI. Severe ICANS was also associated with higher rates of cytopenia, coagulopathy, increased cumulative steroid exposure, and prolonged hospitalization. However, severe ICANS did not affect treatment outcomes of patients with MCL. Severe ICANS is frequently associated with a range of postinfusion brain MRI changes and abnormal EEG findings. Longer hospitalization was observed in patients with severe ICANS, especially those with abnormal acute MRI or EEG findings, but there was no discernible impact on overall treatment response and survival.

A clinical trial of therapeutic vaccination in lymphoma with serial tumor sampling and single-cell analysis.

ABSTRACT: In situ vaccination (ISV) triggers an immune response to tumor-associated antigens at 1 tumor site, which can then tackle the disease throughout the body. Here, we report clinical and biological results of a phase 1/2 ISV trial in patients with low-grade lymphoma, combining an intratumoral toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) agonist with local low-dose radiation and ibrutinib (an inhibitor of B- and T-cell kinases). Adverse events were predominately low grade. The overall response rate was 50%, including 1 complete response. All patients experienced tumor reduction at distant sites. Single-cell analyses of serial fine needle aspirates from injected and uninjected tumors revealed correlates of clinical response, such as lower CD47 and higher major histocompatibility complex class II expression on tumor cells, enhanced T-cell and natural killer cell effector function, and reduced immune suppression from transforming growth factor ß and inhibitory T regulatory 1 cells. Although changes at the local injected site were more pronounced, changes at distant uninjected sites were more often associated with clinical responses. Functional immune response assays and tracking of T-cell receptor sequences provided evidence of treatment-induced tumor-specific T-cell responses. Induction of immune effectors and reversal of negative regulators were both important in producing clinically meaningful tumor responses. The trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02927964.

Single-center randomized trial of T-reg graft alone vs T-reg graft plus tacrolimus for the prevention of acute GVHD.

ABSTRACT: Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is a curative therapy for hematological malignancies for which graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) remains a major complication. The use of donor T-regulatory cells (Tregs) to prevent GVHD appears promising, including in our previous evaluation of an engineered graft product (T-reg graft) consisting of the timed, sequential infusion of CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells and high-purity Tregs followed by conventional T cells. However, whether immunosuppressive prophylaxis can be removed from this protocol remains unclear. We report the results of the first stage of an open-label single-center phase 2 study (NCT01660607) investigating T-reg graft in myeloablative HCT of HLA-matched and 9/10-matched recipients. Twenty-four patients were randomized to receive T-reg graft alone (n = 12) or T-reg graft plus single-agent GVHD prophylaxis (n = 12) to determine whether T-reg graft alone was noninferior in preventing acute GVHD. All patients developed full-donor myeloid chimerism. Patients with T-reg graft alone vs with prophylaxis had incidences of grade 3 to 4 acute GVHD of 58% vs 8% (P = .005) and grade 3 to 4 of 17% vs 0% (P = .149), respectively. The incidence of moderate-to-severe chronic GVHD was 28% in the T-reg graft alone arm vs 0% with prophylaxis (P = .056). Among patients with T-reg graft and prophylaxis, CD4+ T-cell-to-Treg ratios were reduced after transplantation, gene expression profiles showed reduced CD4+ proliferation, and the achievement of full-donor T-cell chimerism was delayed. This study indicates that T-reg graft with single-agent tacrolimus is preferred over T-reg graft alone for the prevention of acute GVHD. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01660607.

Bendamustine is a safe and effective lymphodepletion agent for axicabtagene ciloleucel in patients with refractory or relapsed large B-cell lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: Fludarabine in combination with cyclophosphamide (FC) is the standard lymphodepletion regimen for CAR T-cell therapy (CAR T). A national fludarabine shortage in 2022 necessitated the exploration of alternative regimens with many centers employing single-agent bendamustine as lymphodepletion despite a lack of clinical safety and efficacy data. To fill this gap in the literature, we evaluated the safety, efficacy, and expansion kinetics of bendamustine as lymphodepletion prior to axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) therapy. METHODS: 84 consecutive patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma treated with axi-cel and managed with a uniform toxicity management plan at Stanford University were studied. 27 patients received alternative lymphodepletion with bendamustine while 57 received FC. RESULTS: Best complete response rates were similar (73.7% for FC and 74% for bendamustine, p=0.28) and there was no significant difference in 12-month progression-free survival or overall survival estimates (p=0.17 and p=0.62, respectively). The frequency of high-grade cytokine release syndrome and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome was similar in both the cohorts. Bendamustine cohort experienced lower proportions of hematological toxicities and antibiotic use for neutropenic fever. Immune reconstitution, as measured by quantitative assessment of cellular immunity, was better in bendamustine cohort as compared with FC cohort. CAR T expansion as measured by peak expansion and area under the curve for expansion was comparable between cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: Bendamustine is a safe and effective alternative lymphodepletion conditioning for axi-cel with lower early hematological toxicity and favorable immune reconstitution.

Phase II study of novel CXCR2 agonist and Plerixafor for rapid stem cell mobilization in patients with multiple myeloma.

MGTA-145 or GROßT, a CXCR2 agonist, has shown promising activity for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) mobilization with plerixafor in pre-clinical studies and healthy volunteers. Twenty-five patients with multiple myeloma enrolled in a phase 2 trial evaluating MGTA-145 and plerixafor for HSC mobilization (NCT04552743). Plerixafor was given subcutaneously followed 2 h later by MGTA-145 (0.03 mg/kg) intravenously with same day apheresis. Mobilization/apheresis could be repeated for a second day in patients who collected <6 ×106 CD34+ cells/kg. Lenalidomide and anti-CD38 antibody were part of induction therapy in 92% (n = 23) and 24% (n = 6) of patients, respectively. Median total HSC cell yield (CD34+ cells/kg × 106) was 5.0 (range: 1.1-16.2) and day 1 yield was 3.4 (range: 0.3-16.2). 88% (n = 22) of patients met the primary endpoint of collecting 2 ×106 CD34+ cells/kg in ≤ two days, 68% (n = 17) in one day. Secondary endpoints of collecting 4 and 6 × 106 CD34+ cells/kg in ≤ two days were met in 68% (n = 17) and 40% (n = 10) patients. Grade 1 or 2 adverse events (AE) were seen in 60% of patients, the most common AE being grade 1 pain, usually self-limited. All 19 patients who underwent transplant with MGTA-145 and plerixafor mobilized HSCs engrafted successfully, with durable engraftment at day 100. 74% (17 of 23) of grafts with this regimen were minimal residual disease negative by next generation flow cytometry. Graft composition for HSCs and immune cells were similar to a contemporaneous cohort mobilized with G-CSF and plerixafor.

CAR19 monitoring by peripheral blood immunophenotyping reveals histology-specific expansion and toxicity.

ABSTRACT: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells directed against CD19 (CAR19) are a revolutionary treatment for B-cell lymphomas (BCLs). CAR19 cell expansion is necessary for CAR19 function but is also associated with toxicity. To define the impact of CAR19 expansion on patient outcomes, we prospectively followed a cohort of 236 patients treated with CAR19 (brexucabtagene autoleucel or axicabtagene ciloleucel) for mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), follicular lymphoma, and large BCL (LBCL) over the course of 5 years and obtained CAR19 expansion data using peripheral blood immunophenotyping for 188 of these patients. CAR19 expansion was higher in patients with MCL than other lymphoma histologic subtypes. Notably, patients with MCL had increased toxicity and required fourfold higher cumulative steroid doses than patients with LBCL. CAR19 expansion was associated with the development of cytokine release syndrome, immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome, and the requirement for granulocyte colony-stimulating factor 14 days after infusion. Younger patients and those with elevated lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) had significantly higher CAR19 expansion. In general, no association between CAR19 expansion and LBCL treatment response was observed. However, when controlling for tumor burden, we found that lower CAR19 expansion in conjunction with low LDH was associated with improved outcomes in LBCL. In sum, this study finds CAR19 expansion principally associates with CAR-related toxicity. Additionally, CAR19 expansion as measured by peripheral blood immunophenotyping may be dispensable to favorable outcomes in LBCL.

Multifocal demyelinating leukoencephalopathy and oligodendroglial lineage cell loss with immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) following CD19 CAR T-cell therapy for mantle cell lymphoma.

Immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) is a prevalent condition seen after treatment with chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapy and other cancer cell therapies. The underlying pathophysiology and neuropathology of the clinical syndrome are incompletely understood due to the limited availability of brain tissue evaluation from patient cases, and a lack of high-fidelity preclinical animal models for translational research. Here, we present the cellular and tissue neuropathologic analysis of a patient who experienced grade 4 ICANS after treatment with anti-CD19 CAR T therapy for mantle cell lymphoma. Our pathologic evaluation reveals a pattern of multifocal demyelinating leukoencephalopathy associated with a clinical course of severe ICANS. A focused analysis of glial subtypes further suggests region-specific oligodendrocyte lineage cell loss as a potential cellular and pathophysiologic correlate in severe ICANS. We propose a framework for the continuum of neuropathologic changes thus far reported across ICANS cases. Future elucidation of the mechanistic processes underlying ICANS will be critical in minimizing neurotoxicity following CAR T-cell and related immunotherapy treatments across oncologic and autoimmune diseases.

Circulating tumor DNA adds specificity to PET after axicabtagene ciloleucel in large B-cell lymphoma.

We examined the meaning of metabolically active lesions on 1-month restaging nuclear imaging of patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma receiving axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) by assessing the relationship between total metabolic tumor volume (MTV) on positron emission tomography (PET) scans and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the plasma. In this prospective multicenter sample collection study, MTV was retrospectively calculated via commercial software at baseline, 1, and 3 months after chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy; ctDNA was available before and after axi-cel administration. Spearman correlation coefficient (rs) was used to study the relationship between the variables, and a mathematical model was constructed to describe tumor dynamics 1 month after CAR T-cell therapy. The median time between baseline scan and axi-cel infusion was 33 days (range, 1-137 days) for all 57 patients. For 41 of the patients with imaging within 33 days of axi-cel or imaging before that time but no bridging therapy, the correlation at baseline became stronger (rs, 0.61; P < .0001) compared with all patients (rs, 0.38; P = .004). Excluding patients in complete remission with no measurable residual disease, ctDNA and MTV at 1 month did not correlate (rs, 0.28; P = .11) but correlated at 3 months (rs, 0.79; P = .0007). Modeling of tumor dynamics, which incorporated ctDNA and inflammation as part of MTV, recapitulated the outcomes of patients with positive radiologic 1-month scans. Our results suggested that nonprogressing hypermetabolic lesions on 1-month PET represent ongoing treatment responses, and their composition may be elucidated by concurrently examining the ctDNA.

Brexucabtagene Autoleucel for Relapsed or Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma in Standard-of-Care Practice: Results From the US Lymphoma CAR T Consortium.

PURPOSE: Brexucabtagene autoleucel (brexu-cel) is an autologous CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy approved for relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). This therapy was approved on the basis of the single-arm phase II ZUMA-2 trial, which showed best overall and complete response rates of 91% and 68%, respectively. We report clinical outcomes with brexu-cel in the standard-of-care setting for the approved indication. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients who underwent leukapheresis between August 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021, at 16 US institutions, with an intent to manufacture commercial brexu-cel for relapsed/refractory MCL, were included. Patient data were collected for analyses of responses, outcomes, and toxicities as per standard guidelines. RESULTS: Of 189 patients who underwent leukapheresis, 168 (89%) received brexu-cel infusion. Of leukapheresed patients, 79% would not have met ZUMA-2 eligibility criteria. Best overall and complete response rates were 90% and 82%, respectively. At a median follow-up of 14.3 months after infusion, the estimates for 6- and 12-month progression-free survival (PFS) were 69% (95% CI, 61 to 75) and 59% (95% CI, 51 to 66), respectively. The nonrelapse mortality was 9.1% at 1 year, primarily because of infections. Grade 3 or higher cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity occurred in 8% and 32%, respectively. In univariable analysis, high-risk simplified MCL international prognostic index, high Ki-67, TP53 aberration, complex karyotype, and blastoid/pleomorphic variant were associated with shorter PFS after brexu-cel infusion. Patients with recent bendamustine exposure (within 24 months before leukapheresis) had shorter PFS and overall survival after leukapheresis in intention-to-treat univariable analysis. CONCLUSION: In the standard-of-care setting, the efficacy and toxicity of brexu-cel were consistent with those reported in the ZUMA-2 trial. Tumor-intrinsic features of MCL, and possibly recent bendamustine exposure, may be associated with inferior efficacy outcomes.

Determinants of resistance to engineered T cell therapies targeting CD19 in large B cell lymphomas.

Most relapsed/refractory large B cell lymphoma (r/rLBCL) patients receiving anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR19) T cells relapse. To characterize determinants of resistance, we profiled over 700 longitudinal specimens from two independent cohorts (n = 65 and n = 73) of r/rLBCL patients treated with axicabtagene ciloleucel. A method for simultaneous profiling of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), cell-free CAR19 (cfCAR19) retroviral fragments, and cell-free T cell receptor rearrangements (cfTCR) enabled integration of tumor and both engineered and non-engineered T cell effector-mediated factors for assessing treatment failure and predicting outcomes. Alterations in multiple classes of genes are associated with resistance, including B cell identity (PAX5 and IRF8), immune checkpoints (CD274), and those affecting the microenvironment (TMEM30A). Somatic tumor alterations affect CAR19 therapy at multiple levels, including CAR19 T cell expansion, persistence, and tumor microenvironment. Further, CAR19 T cells play a reciprocal role in shaping tumor genotype and phenotype. We envision these findings will facilitate improved chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells and personalized therapeutic approaches.