Defining the Rates of Cytokine Release Syndrome Associated With Talquetamab Step-up Doses.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Immunotherapy
• Clinical Trials

Background:

• Talquetamab is an approved T-cell-engaging antibody for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM).
• Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) is a common adverse event associated with talquetamab treatment.
• Previous studies lacked detailed analysis of CRS rates based on talquetamab step-up dosing schedules.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize cytokine release syndrome (CRS) rates following each talquetamab step-up dose in a real-world RRMM patient cohort.
• To compare CRS incidence across different talquetamab step-up doses.
• To identify potential predictors of CRS in patients receiving talquetamab.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 50 RRMM patients who completed talquetamab step-up dosing.
• Comparison of CRS rates using chi-square/Fisher's exact test.
• Analysis of time to CRS onset and predictors of CRS using Kruskal-Wallis and logistic regression.

Main Results:

• Overall CRS rate was 80% in the study cohort.
• Significantly lower CRS rates were observed with the fourth talquetamab dose (4%) compared to earlier step-up doses (28-34%).
• The median time to CRS onset did not significantly differ between step-up doses, and prior T-cell therapy did not impact CRS incidence.

Conclusions:

• The fourth talquetamab dose demonstrates high tolerability, supporting its administration in outpatient settings.
• Step-up dosing of talquetamab may reduce hospitalization duration and associated healthcare expenses.
• Real-world data confirms the safety profile of talquetamab step-up dosing in RRMM patients.