Dr Brian Koffman Explains How PROs Can Provide Insight Into CAR T Benefits

While patient-reported outcomes don’t provide the whole story, they can provide insight into how chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy changes a patient’s life, said Brian Koffman, MDCM, DCFP, DABFM, MS Ed, medical director, CLL Society.

Transcript

Since CAR T is a new treatment, do you think patient-reported outcomes should be considered in coverage decisions for the therapy?

I run a patient support and advocacy organization, so I’m very big on patient-reported outcomes, and I think that has to be part of any decision. I don’t think it’s the whole story, and I think when people look at the CAR T evidence—like in my case you’ve got to look at what did the bone marrow show, what did the blood show—but I think it’s very important to understand the patient’s perspective, the patient’s outcome.

And for a lot of these patients, CAR T therapy is really their last and best option. It’s not a frontline therapy, so people are often getting this when they’ve run out of other options. And when you see someone who really didn’t have much chance at being around 6 months to a year from now, years out, that certainly gives you pause, and I think that’s a data point that needs to be considered when that patient talks about what their lifestyle has been like.

I had CAR T 6 months ago and since then, I’ve been to the European Hematology Association meeting, I’ve been to the European Research Initiative on CLL, both of those in Europe, and I’ve traveled around the country talking about CAR T therapy. So, I think that’s a data point that “Look, somebody can get this and in the next 6 months be traveling all around, working as a family doctor, working in a not-for-profit.” I think those are important points that people have to understand.