Researchers discovered that infections significantly contributed to non-relapse mortality among patients undergoing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy (1^✔ ✔Trusted Source
A systematic review and meta-analysis of nonrelapse mortality after CAR T cell therapy

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The team analyzed reports from 7604 patients across 18 clinical trials and 28 real world studies. Infections accounted for half of all reported non-relapse related deaths.

Other cancers were the second most common driver at 7.8%.

Secondary Effects in CAR-T Cell Therapy

Cardiovascular or respiratory events were third, at 7.3%. Side effects specific to CAR-T cell therapy, such as cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity, played a minor role.

Importantly, the researchers found non-relapse mortality to be associated with the underlying disease entity and certain CAR T-cell products, even when accounting for key study features.

Much attention has been paid to the risks associated with CAR-T cell therapy and managing CAR-T cell therapy specific side effects, such as cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity.

This study reveals that infections play a critical role in non-relapse related death and suggests a pressing need for comprehensive, evidence-based guidelines that inform infection prevention and management after CAR-T cell therapy.

The German Cancer Consortium, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), the Munich Clinician Scientist Program, the Bruno and Helene Jöster Foundation, the Bavarian Cancer Research Center, the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute, and Arnold Ventures.

Reference:

1. A systematic review and meta-analysis of nonrelapse mortality after CAR T cell therapy – (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03084-6)

Source-Eurekalert