Long-term efficacy of CAR-T cell therapy for patients with relapsed/refractory B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma

To evaluate the long-term efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy in treatment of relapsed/refractory B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL).

Clinical data of 27 patients with relapsed/refractory B-NHL treated with CAR-T cell in Bone Marrow Transplantation Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine from June 2016 to June 2020 were analyzed. Patients were followed up to February 1, 2022. The overall survival rate, progression free survival (PFS) rate were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier analysis, and the adverse reactions were recorded.

The median follow-up time of 27 patients was 32  (1, 56) months. The total response rate was 85.2% (23/27), the complete response rate was 63.0% (17/27), and the partial response rate was 22.2% (6/27). The 3-year overall survival rate was (50.0±10.1)%, and the PFS rate was (44.4±9.6)%. After CAR-T cell therapy, the overall survival and PFS of patients in the complete response group were significantly better than those in the non-complete response group [overall survival rate: (66.9±12.7)% vs. (20.0±12.6)%, P=0.01; PFS rate: (64.7±11.6)% vs. (10.0±9.5)%, P<0.01]. There was no significant difference in overall survival rate and PFS rate between CD19 targeted and CD19/CD22 dual-targeted CAR-T cell therapy (both P>0.05). Cytokine release syndrome developed in 92.6% (25/27) of patients, and 88.9% (24/27) of patients had grade Ⅲ-Ⅳ myelosuppression. Other adverse reactions include immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome, hepatitis B virus activation, and lung or gastrointestinal infections. No long-term adverse reactions occurred.

CAR-T cell therapy is effective for patients with relapsed/refractory B-NHL, and the adverse reactions are controllable. The patients who obtain complete response after CAR-T cell therapy or survive for one year after therapy may have better long-term survival.