Dr. Perales on the Future of CAR T-Cell Therapy in DLBCL and Follicular Lymphoma

Miguel-Angel Perales, MD, deputy chief, Adult Bone Marrow Transplant Service, director, Adult Bone Marrow Transplantation Fellowship Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the future of CAR T-cell therapy in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma.

There is potential to move CAR T cells earlier in treatment of patients with DLBCL and follicular lymphoma, says Perales. Studies have examined earlier CAR T-cell therapy in mantle cell lymphoma, while other studies looked at combining CAR T cells with checkpoint inhibitors. The results of those studies still need to be released, says Perales.

The results of CAR T-cell therapy in follicular lymphoma are promising, he adds. A study from the University of Pennsylvania looked at a small group of 14 patients and showed positive survival curves with this approach. Another study examined a different small group of patients with follicular lymphoma versus patients with transformed follicular lymphoma. Results from the study showed that patients with follicular lymphoma responded better to CAR T-cell therapy than those with transformed follicular lymphoma. These results were similar to that of the study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, concludes Perales.