Axicabtagene ciloleucel in vivo expansion and treatment outcome in aggressive B-cell lymphoma in a real-world setting

Abstract

Data on the association between chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell kinetics and patient outcome in the nontrial setting are missing, mainly due to the lack of broadly available CAR-T-cell diagnostic quantification tools. We performed prospective quantification of axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) in 21 patients treated for aggressive B-cell lymphoma at our clinic. Median peak CAR-T-cell count was 16.14 CAR-T cells/mL. Patients with 16.14/mL or higher peak CAR-T cells (strong expanders) had more day-30 objective responses (91% vs 40%, P = .02). In univariate analysis, peak CAR-T cell $ 16.14 (P