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EHA 2024: Can Patients Over 75 Be Treated with CAR T-cell Therapy?

Posted: Jul 16, 2024
EHA 2024: Can Patients Over 75 Be Treated with CAR T-cell Therapy? image

DLBCL specialist Pierre Bories, M.D., PhD, from the University of Toulouse, France, shared research findings with HealthTree at the 2024 EHA conference about similarities and differences between older and younger DLBCL patients treated with CAR T-cell therapy. 

Not many patients over 75 were included in CAR-T clinical trials. Now that these therapies have been approved, doctors want to make sure they can be safely administered to older patients. Watch his interview or read the summary below.

What is CAR T-cell Therapy? 

CAR T-cell therapy enhances a patient’s T-cells to kill cancer cells effectively. Click here to read more about CAR T-cell therapy. 

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients whose disease has returned or become intolerant to prior lines of therapy (relapsed/refractory) have several FDA-approved CD19 CAR T-cell therapies. These include axi-cel (Yescarta, Kite), liso-cel (Breyanzi, BMS), and tisa-cel (Kymriah, Novartis). 

Dr. Bories and colleagues investigated whether age influenced treatment effectiveness and CAR-T side effects.

How Do Elderly DLBCL Patients Respond to CAR T-cell Therapy? 

The researchers studied 125 DLBCL patients over the age of 75 and saw that one year after being treated with CAR T-cell therapy, they had similar responses as patients below the age of 75. Treatment effectiveness and side effects were very similar in both groups. 

They did find, however, that elderly patients tended to have a higher risk of passing away from conditions unrelated to DLBCL following treatment, such as infections, compared to younger patients. 

In conclusion, age does not seem to change the effectiveness of CAR T-cell therapy for DLBCL patients. However, patients over the age of 75 may need increased supportive measures to help mitigate infection risk following treatment to support their quality and length of life. 

Join the HealthTree for DLBCL Newsletter to Learn More! 

We invite you to click the button below to subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest advancements in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. 

JOIN THE HEALTHTREE FOR DLBCL NEWSLETTER

Sources: 

DLBCL specialist Pierre Bories, M.D., PhD, from the University of Toulouse, France, shared research findings with HealthTree at the 2024 EHA conference about similarities and differences between older and younger DLBCL patients treated with CAR T-cell therapy. 

Not many patients over 75 were included in CAR-T clinical trials. Now that these therapies have been approved, doctors want to make sure they can be safely administered to older patients. Watch his interview or read the summary below.

What is CAR T-cell Therapy? 

CAR T-cell therapy enhances a patient’s T-cells to kill cancer cells effectively. Click here to read more about CAR T-cell therapy. 

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients whose disease has returned or become intolerant to prior lines of therapy (relapsed/refractory) have several FDA-approved CD19 CAR T-cell therapies. These include axi-cel (Yescarta, Kite), liso-cel (Breyanzi, BMS), and tisa-cel (Kymriah, Novartis). 

Dr. Bories and colleagues investigated whether age influenced treatment effectiveness and CAR-T side effects.

How Do Elderly DLBCL Patients Respond to CAR T-cell Therapy? 

The researchers studied 125 DLBCL patients over the age of 75 and saw that one year after being treated with CAR T-cell therapy, they had similar responses as patients below the age of 75. Treatment effectiveness and side effects were very similar in both groups. 

They did find, however, that elderly patients tended to have a higher risk of passing away from conditions unrelated to DLBCL following treatment, such as infections, compared to younger patients. 

In conclusion, age does not seem to change the effectiveness of CAR T-cell therapy for DLBCL patients. However, patients over the age of 75 may need increased supportive measures to help mitigate infection risk following treatment to support their quality and length of life. 

Join the HealthTree for DLBCL Newsletter to Learn More! 

We invite you to click the button below to subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest advancements in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. 

JOIN THE HEALTHTREE FOR DLBCL NEWSLETTER

Sources: 

The author Megan Heaps

about the author
Megan Heaps

Megan joined HealthTree in 2022. As a writer and the daughter of a blood cancer patient, she is dedicated to helping patients and their caregivers understand the various aspects of their disease. This understanding enables them to better advocate for themselves and improve their treatment outcomes. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, sewing, and cooking.

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