Cost-effectiveness of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma: a...

Cost-effectiveness evidence of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T) for the treatment of relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (r/r LBCL) remains controversial given the potential CAR-T has to cure patients coupled with the high cost of therapy. This study aims to synthesize the cost-effectiveness data of CAR-T for the treatment of r/r LBCL in adults using a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Cost-effectiveness analyses of CAR-T for the treatment of r/r LBCL from inception through November 2024 were identified through database searches (MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL). Costs were converted to 2023 US dollars using purchasing power parity. Incremental net benefit (INB) was calculated using country-specific willingness-to-pay thresholds and pooled using a random-effects model. Results were stratified by country income level and line of therapy. The risk of bias was assessed using the ECOBIAS checklist. Protocol registered at PROSPERO #CRD42024602683.

Thirty-four studies were included in this systematic review. Twenty-six studies compared CAR-T to platinum-based chemotherapy with autologous stem cell therapy (ASCT) for r/r LBCL and eight studies compared between CAR-T therapies. As 2nd-line therapy for LBCL, CAR-T was found to have an INB of $28,846 (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: -$43,265 to $100,957; I² = 0%) (n = 9) compared to platinum-based chemotherapy with ASCT in high-income countries (HICs). As 3rd-line therapy against the same comparator, CAR-T had an INB of $48,838 (95% CI: -$156,625 to $254,302; I² = 79%) (n = 9) for HICs.

Over a lifetime horizon, CAR-T was not significantly cost-effective for the treatment of r/r LBCL, though positive INBs suggest a trend toward cost-effectiveness as 2nd or 3rd-line therapy in HICs. Further cost-effective analyses should be conducted to compare between CAR-T products for the treatment of patients with r/r LBCL, as well as between CAR-T products and emerging novel therapies for r/r LBCL treatment, as this study did not address these comparisons.