Valuable Predictors Identified for Ide-Cel Therapy in Multiple Myeloma

Doris Hansen, MD, of the Moffit Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, spoke with Blood Cancers Today on findings from a retrospective analysis that identified treatment response predictors for the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) in patients with multiple myeloma (MM).

“The purpose of our study was to essentially look at the association between cytokines and the pre-CAR-T bone marrow composition in patients receiving idecabtagene vicleucel and to see how that affects the toxicity and early efficacy or early responses,” Dr. Hansen explained.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ide-cel in March 2021 for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory MM who received four or more prior lines of therapy that included an immunomodulatory agent, a proteasome inhibitor, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody. Ide-cel was the first cell-based genetic therapy approved for MM treatment by the FDA.

“In conclusion, our study demonstrated that there is an association between cytokines, plasma cell burden, immune cell subsets, and inflammatory markers with toxicity and early response in patients receiving idecabtagene vicleucel,” Dr. Hansen summarized.

Ideally, Dr. Hansen suggested the study’s findings will assist with potential therapeutic optimization and toxicity prevention for ide-cel in patients with MM.