Dr. Coutre Discusses Challenges With CAR T-Cell Therapy in ALL

Steven Coutre, MD, professor of medicine at Stanford University Medical Center, discusses challenges with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah), the first FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapy, is approved for the treatment of patients up to 25 years of age with B-cell precursor ALL that is refractory or in second or later relapse. However, it is not approved in adults, and Coutre says that it is not yet known whether CAR T-cell therapy will be used with a curative intent or as a bridge to transplant.

In pediatric patients, investigators are looking to move tisagenlecleucel to earlier lines of therapy. But, if issues with toxicities can be better defined, Coutre says that CAR T-cell therapy may be appropriate for some patients above the current indicated age range.