O'Reilly MA, Neill L, Collin SM, Stone N, Springell D, Mensah J, Cheok KPL, Jalowiec K, Benjamin R, Kuhnl A, Roddie C, Sanderson R. High pretreatment disease burden as a risk factor for infectious complications following CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for large B-cell lymphoma.
Hemasphere 2024;
8:e29. [PMID:
38434533 PMCID:
PMC10878197 DOI:
10.1002/hem3.29]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Infection has emerged as the chief cause of non-relapse mortality (NRM) post CD19-targeting chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T) therapy. Even though up to 50% of patients may remain infection-free, many suffer multiple severe, life-threatening, or fatal infectious events. The primary aim of this study was to explore severe and life-threatening infections post licensed CAR-T therapy in large B-cell lymphoma, with a focus on the role of disease burden and disease sites in assessing individual risk. We sought to understand the cohort of patients who experience ≥2 infections and those at the highest risk of infectious NRM. Our analysis identifies a higher disease burden after bridging therapy as associated with infection events. Those developing ≥2 infections emerged as a uniquely high-risk cohort, particularly if the second (or beyond) infection occurred during an episode of immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) or while on steroids and/or anakinra for ICANS. Herein, we also describe the first reported cases of "CAR-T cold sepsis," a phenomenon characterized by the lack of an appreciable systemic inflammatory response at the time of detection of infection. We propose a risk-based strategy to encourage heightened clinician awareness of cold sepsis, with a view to reducing NRM.
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