Efficacy and safety of Glofitamab in patients with R/R DLBCL in real life setting– a retrospective study

Abstract

Glofitamab, a CD20-directed CD3 T-cell engager, was recently FDA-approved after demonstrating a 52% overall response rate (ORR) and a 39% complete response (CR) rate in heavily pretreated diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. However, real-world data on its efficacy and safety remain limited. This study evaluated glofitamab’s performance in clinical practice. We conducted a retrospective multicenter study of adults with relapsed/refractory (R/R) DLBCL treated via a national compassionate use program. Patients received at least one dose of glofitamab after failing ≥ 2 prior therapies. Recruitment spanned September 2020–January 2023. Outcomes included ORR, CR (per Lugano criteria), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Adverse events were classified per ASTCT 2019 criteria, and risk factors for PFS and OS were assessed via logistic regression. Thirty-five patients from six Israeli centers were included (median age: 67 years; 66% male). The median number of prior therapies was 5, with 43% being primary refractory and 91% post-CAR-T therapy. ORR was 34%, with 14% achieving CR. Median PFS and OS were 2 and 4 months, respectively. Treatment was prematurely discontinued in 86%, mainly due to disease progression (46%) and to infections in responding patients (17%). Male sex was a significant risk factor for poor PFS and OS. In this real-world cohort, glofitamab’s efficacy was lower than in clinical trials, likely due to a more heavily pretreated population. However, its manageable toxicity supports its potential role in r/r DLBCL treatment.