Effect of lisocabtagene maraleucel on HRQoL and symptom severity in relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma

CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has shown efficacy as a third-line or later treatment in patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). Using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire, we evaluated the impact of CAR T-cell treatment with lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and symptoms in patients with relapsed/refractory LBCL in the ongoing, open-label, nonrandomized TRANSCEND NHL 001 trial. Clinically meaningful improvement was observed in EORTC QLQ-C30 scores for global health status/QoL, based on a minimally important difference of 10 points at 2 to 18 months after liso-cel infusion. There were no clinically meaningful changes in physical functioning and pain, whereas clinically meaningful improvements were observed in fatigue at 2, 12, and 18 months. The proportion of patients with clinically meaningful improvement in global health status/QoL was generally higher for treatment responders than for nonresponders. A trend toward decreased mean EQ-5D-5L index scores was observed at 1 month after liso-cel infusion, followed by subsequent increases through 18 months. Mean EQ-5D-5L visual analog scale scores increased from 2 through 18 months. In summary, patients with relapsed/refractory LBCL treated with liso-cel had early, sustained, and clinically meaningful improvements in HRQoL and symptoms that correlated with antitumor activity. This study was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02631044.