Long-term Data Support CAR T-cells in Earlier Lines of Therapy for MM

Jens Hillengass, MD, PhD, of the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, spoke with Blood Cancers Today about his presentation at the 2023 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition on his paper, “The Phase 2 CARTITUDE-2 Trial: Updated Efficacy and Safety of Ciltacabtagene Autoleucel in Patients with Multiple Myeloma and 1–3 Prior Lines of Therapy (Cohort A) and with Early Relapse after First Line Treatment (Cohort B).”

The abstract covers updated data on cilta-cel in earlier lines of therapy among patients with lenalidomide-refractory or early-relapsed multiple myeloma enrolled in the CARTITUDE-2 study. The longer-term data showed that patients treated with cilta-cel achieved deep and durable responses.

“It’s very interesting data showing that these responses that have been present are really maintained over time. There were not many more toxicities either and not many more relapses in patients. So the patients have a really good outcome.”

Dr. Hillengass highlighted the potential of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in earlier lines of treatment for multiple myeloma.

“Treating early in patients where the disease is not very mutated, not very evolved yet, might be a very good approach, and I think the CARTITUDE-4 data, which has also been recently presented is definitely a confirmation of that,” he suggested.