Dr. Grupp on Optimal Treatment Settings for CAR-Modified T Cells

Stephan Grupp, MD, PhD, of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, discusses the optimal treatment settings for novel CD19-specific CAR-modified T cell therapies in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

CAR-modified T cell therapies have generated excitement, as novel treatments for patients with ALL. In updated findings from 39 pediatric patients with relapsed/refractory ALL, the complete remission rate was 92%. In this population, this is a good treatment option, Grupp notes.

Given the high-level of efficacy seen with upfront chemotherapy in pediatric patients, Grupp believes the CAR T cell therapies are best suited for later lines of treatment. However, in adult patients with ALL, approximately half of patients progress on frontline therapy. For this population, CAR T cell therapies could be beneficial in earlier settings. At this point, Grupp remains uncertain whether the novel immunotherapies could ever replace frontline chemotherapy in ALL.

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