CAR T-Cell Therapy for Hematologic Cancers: Michael Bishop, MD

This content originally appeared on our sister site, Targeted Oncology.

Physicians are anticipating a first indication of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in multiple myeloma, after the therapy has made significant impacts in patient care in areas it is approved: non-Hodgkin lymphoma and pediatric and young adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Other recent approvals have been made in mantle cell lymphoma.

Targeted Oncology spoke with Michael Bishop, MD, a professor of medicine and director of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Program at University of Chicago Medicine, about the different settings where CAR T-cell therapy is used.

Starting with ALL for the pediatric population, CAR T cells have been a game changer, according to Bishop. These young patients have median overall survivals of less than 6 months, but the high response rates with CAR T are enabling them to potentially go on to an allogeneic stem cell transplant and in some cases, be free of disease.

In the non-Hodgkin lymphoma setting, there are now 3 products indicated for advanced B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which is significant for patients with totally refractory disease. There is this therapeutic option that is potentially curative. Bishop says investigators are seeing patients out to 5 years without any further therapy after receiving CAR T cells.