Dr. Westin on Response Rates in the JULIET Trial for DLBCL

Jason Westin, MD, leader of the Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma Research Team, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in the JULIET trial who were treated with tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah).

Historically, the population of patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL have poor outcomes and typically do not respond well to chemotherapy when they are in their third line of therapy or beyond, Westin explains. The response rates are low, and survival outcomes are short.

The JULIET trial saw an overall response rate of 54% and a complete response (CR) rate of 40%, according to Westin. Now at a median of 26 months, patients who achieved a CR have a duration of response not yet reached but seems to be plateauing beyond 3 to 6 months, showing that the responses are durable, concludes Westin.