ASH 2019: Early Trial Results With CAR T-Cell Therapy for Resistant Myeloma
Posted: Tuesday, December 24, 2019
According to the ongoing CARTITUDE-1 study, the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy JNJ-4528 may prove to be a safe and effective treatment for patients with refractory multiple myeloma who have received several prior therapies. The results were presented at the 2019 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition in Orlando, Florida (Abstract 577).
CARTITUDE-1 is continuing to enroll patients, and the researchers are prepared for further clinical development.
“We are seeing a high response rate, with most patients achieving minimal residual disease negativity,” stated Deepu Madduri, MD, of The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, in an ASH press release. “Considering these patients have all received multiple prior therapies, these results are extremely encouraging.”
The research team infused 29 patients with multiple myeloma with JNJ-4528. Patients underwent blood and bone marrow exams at a minimum of 28 days, 6 months, and 1 year after treatment.
After a median follow-up of 6 months, all of the study patients achieved some reduction in tumor burden. A clinical response to JNJ-4528 and a state of negative minimal residual disease was observed in 100% of the patient population. At data cutoff, 27 of the 29 patients were free of disease progression.
Cytokine-release syndrome was recorded in 93% of the patients; a single patient recorded grade 3 cytokine-release syndrome, and another patient died as a result of complications associated with it. The infusion reaction was treated with tocilizumab in 76% of patients.
“To see some patients in this heavily pretreated population surviving for a year or more with a one-time treatment and a manageable safety profile is remarkable,” continued Dr. Madduri. “These patients feel that they have their quality of life back. They no longer have to come into the clinic for weekly treatments, and some are well enough to travel.”
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit ash.confex.com.
