Long-Term Follow-up of CD19 CAR Therapy in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

TLDR: A phase 1 trial involving adults with relapsed B‐cell ALL who received an infusion of autologous T cells expressing the 19‐28z CAR at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center found that patients with a low disease burden before treatment had markedly enhanced remission duration and survival and had a markedly lower incidence of the cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxic events after infusion.

Abstract: Background CD19-specific chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells induce high rates of initial response among patients with relapsed B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and long-term remissions in a subgroup of patients. Methods We conducted a phase 1 trial involving adults with relapsed B-cell ALL who received an infusion of autologous T cells expressing the 19-28z CAR at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Safety and long-term outcomes were assessed, as were their associations with demographic, clinical, and disease characteristics. Results A total of 53 adults received 19-28z CAR T cells that were manufactured at MSKCC. After infusion, severe cytokine release syndrome occurred in 14 of 53 patients (26%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 15 to 40); 1 patient died. Complete remission was observed in 83% of the patients. At a median follow-up of 29 months (range, 1 to 65), the median event-free survival was 6.1 months (95% CI, 5.0 to 11.5), and the median overall survival was 12....