Prognostic impact of corticosteroids on efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy in large B-cell lymphoma.

Corticosteroids are commonly used for the management of severe toxicities associated with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. However, it remains unclear whether their dose, duration, and timing may affect clinical efficacy. Here, we determined the impact of corticosteroids on clinical outcomes in patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma treated with standard of care anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy. Among 100 patients evaluated, 60 (60%) received corticosteroids for management of CAR T-cell therapy-associated toxicities. The median cumulative dexamethasone-equivalent dose was 186 mg (range, 8-1803) and the median duration of corticosteroid treatment was 9 days (range, 1-30). Corticosteroid treatment was started between days 0 and 7 in 45 (75%) patients and beyond day 7 in 15 (25%). After a median follow-up of 10 months (95% confidence interval, 8-12 months), use of higher cumulative dose of corticosteroids was associated with significantly shorter progression-free survival. More importantly, higher cumulative dose of corticosteroids, and prolonged and early use after CAR T-cell infusion were associated with significantly shorter overall survival. These results suggest that corticosteroids should be used at the lowest dose and for the shortest duration and their initiation should be delayed whenever clinically feasible while managing CAR T-cell therapy-associated toxicities.

Corrected calcium versus ionized calcium measurements for identifying hypercalcemia in patients with multiple myeloma.

BACKGROUND: Dysregulated bone turnover is an important clinical manifestation of multiple myeloma (MM), and 30% of patients present with hypercalcemia. Serum calcium levels are routinely monitored using total calcium measurements corrected for albumin. However, myeloma-related paraproteins may bind calcium, confounding these measurements. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed correlation between corrected calcium and ionized calcium in a sample of patients with MM and a control sample of patients with breast or non-small cell lung cancers (n = 200). Multiple linear regression was used to identify variables affecting corrected calcium measurements. RESULTS: Correlation between corrected calcium and ionized calcium was stronger in the control group compared to the MM group (Spearman correlation coefficient 0.85 versus 0.76, respectively). Sensitivity of corrected calcium in identifying hypercalcemia defined by elevated ionized calcium was 36% in patients with MM and 76% in the control group. Multiple linear regression did not reveal variables significantly influencing corrected calcium in the MM group, although serum paraprotein trended toward significance (p = 0.09). CONCLUSION: Ionized calcium may be better than corrected calcium for detecting hypercalcemia in patients with MM. Additional analyses are needed to better quantify the clinical impact of paraprotein calcium-binding.

Encouraging activity for R-CHOP in advanced stage nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma.

Nodular lymphocyte Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL) is a rare disease for which the optimal therapy is unknown. We hypothesized that rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP) could decrease rates of relapse and transformation. We retrospectively reviewed patients with NLPHL diagnosed between 1995 and 2015 confirmed by central pathologic review. Fifty-nine had sufficient treatment and follow-up data for analysis. We described progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and histologic transformation according to treatment strategy and explored prognostic factors for PFS and OS. The median age at diagnosis was 41 years; 75% were male, and 61% had a typical growth pattern. Twenty-seven patients were treated with R-CHOP with an overall response rate of 100% (complete responses 89%). The median follow-up was 6.7 years, and the estimated 5- and 10-year PFS rates for patients treated with R-CHOP were 88.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 68.4% to 96.1%) and 59.3 (95% CI, 25.3% to 89.1%), respectively. Excluding patients with histologic transformation at diagnosis, the 5-year cumulative incidence of histologic transformation was 2% (95% CI, 87% to 100%). No patient treated with R-CHOP experienced transformation. A high-risk score from the German Hodgkin Study Group was adversely prognostic for OS (P = .036), whereas male sex and splenic involvement were adversely prognostic for PFS (P = .006 and .002, respectively) but not OS. Our data support a potential role for R-CHOP in patients with NLPHL. Larger prospective trials are needed to define the optimal chemotherapy regimen.

Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells in Hematologic Malignancies.

Patients with B-cell hematologic malignancies who progress through first- or second-line chemotherapy have a poor prognosis. Early clinical trials with autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have demonstrated promising results for patients who have relapsed or refractory disease. Lymphodepleting conditioning regimens, including cyclophosphamide, fludarabine, pentostatin, bendamustine, interleukin-2, and total body irradiation, are often administered before the infusion of CAR T cells, allowing for greater T-cell expansion. The major toxicity associated with CAR T-cell infusions is cytokine release syndrome (CRS), a potentially life-threatening systemic inflammatory disorder. The quick onset and progression of CRS require rapid detection and intervention to reduce treatment-related mortality. Management with tocilizumab can help ameliorate the symptoms of severe CRS, allowing steroids, which diminish the expansion and persistence of CAR T cells, to be reserved for tocilizumab-refractory patients. Other toxicities of CAR T-cell therapy include neutropenia and/or febrile neutropenia, infection, tumor lysis syndrome, neurotoxicity and nausea/vomiting. A review of patients' medications is imperative to eliminate medications that may contribute to treatment-related toxicities. Studies are ongoing to help optimize patient selection, preparation, safety, and management of individuals receiving CAR T cells. Long-term follow-up will help establish the place of CAR T cells in therapy.