ABSTRACT
We propose a novel biomarker that can identify patients at high risk of early progression after chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy. Calculation of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) with a pre-apheresis (PA) and pre-lymphodepletion (PL) sample allows monitoring of tumor dynamics (∆cfDNA). In the present study, ∆cfDNA and other biomarkers and clinical variables were evaluated in 58 patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). ∆cfDNA (>11 ng/mL plasma; P =.003), C-reactive protein (CRP) PL (>1.06 mg/dL; P = .004), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) PL (>304; P = .006), disease status PL (progressive disease; P = .035) and sex (male; P = .016) were highly correlated with 1 month progression. After adjusting for ∆cfDNA, CRP PL, and LDH PL, disease status PL, and sex, ∆cfDNA remained associated with 1-month progression after CAR T cell infusion.
