Dr. Park on Updates With CAR T Cells in ALL

Jae H. Park, MD, attending physician, Leukemia Service and Cellular Therapeutics Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses encouraging data with CAR T-cell therapy in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Initial data with CAR T-cell therapy showed a complete response rate of approximately 80% in pediatric and adult patients with relapsed/refractory ALL, says Park. Although approximately 40% of patients will relapse early, some patients can experience durable responses lasting 3 to 5 years.

Ongoing research is evaluating which patients will benefit the most from this strategy, explains Park. The goal is to minimize toxicity and improve remission durations while retaining efficacy. To date, patients with lower disease burden appear to derive the greatest benefit from CAR T-cell therapy.

Ongoing trials are exploring additional targets with the goal of minimizing, and ultimately eliminating, toxicity, concludes Park.