Dr. Wang on the Safety Profile of Brexucabtagene Autoleucel in Relapsed/Refractory MCL
Michael Wang, MD, discusses the safety profile of the CAR T-cell therapy brexucabtagene autoleucel in relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma.
Michael Wang, MD, a professor in the Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the safety profile of the CAR T-cell therapy brexucabtagene autoleucel (Tecartus; formerly KTE-X19) in relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL).
On July 24, 2020, the FDA approved brexucabtagene autoleucel for the treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory MCL. The approval was based on data from the phase 2 ZUMA-2 trial, in which a single infusion of the CAR T-cell product led to an 87% objective response rate and 62% complete response rate.
Regarding safety, the rates of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity were favorable, says Wang. CRS onset typically occured within 1 or 2 days after infusion and peaked around 1 week, while neurotoxicity peaked between days 10 and 14.
Both CRS and neurotoxicity were well managed with tocilizumab (Actemra) or corticosteroids, Wang explains. Though, 1 patient died as a result of CRS.
