Dr. Avigan on CAR T-Cell Therapy in Lymphoproliferative Disease

David E. Avigan, MD, professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School, and active staff, Hematology-Oncology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, discusses research surrounding CAR T-cell therapy in lymphoproliferative diseases.

CAR T-cell therapy, according to Avigan, has been transformative in lymphoproliferative diseases such as acute lymphocytic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The approach is now being investigated in multiple myeloma with a focus on BCMA as a target, which is predominantly expressed in plasma cells.

The results with CAR T-cell therapy vary and have included some high response rates, including in patients with advanced disease. The next step is to examine the durability of these responses. One study with longer follow-up suggested a median time of response of 12 months, with a little duration of response in patients with advanced disease.

Avigan believes researchers need to make progress in understanding why patients are relapsing and what can be done to preserve response. Efforts to do so include investigating mechanisms of resistance and sequencing of CAR T-cell therapy, concludes Avigan.