Dr. Maloney on the Registry for Real World Data of CAR T-Cell Therapy in ALL

David G. Maloney, MD, PhD, medical director of the Immunotherapy Clinic and Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, discusses the initiative to use the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) Cellular Therapy Registry to report real world experience of tisagenlecleucel chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells targeting CD19 in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

The value of registry data depends on whether the center is reporting on all of its cases, explains Maloney. For registry data to be valid, the centers need to report every case they treat rather than selectively report to the CIBMTR. Currently, with this registry being new, physicians do not yet know the quality of the data, says Maloney.

In transplant, reporting all case outcomes is required by law. This law does not exist in CAR T-cell therapy, but centers are starting to compile these data together. Maloney suggests that physicians be cautious about the data reported by the registry in the beginning; however, he believes the registry will provide better real-world outcomes for patients with ALL and be a valuable tool.