Multinational retrospective study of anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy for Richter transformation

Outcomes for Richter transformation (RT) are poor with current therapies. A multinational retrospective study evaluated anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy for RT patients. Grade ≥3 cytokine release syndrome and ICANS were seen in 16% and 37% of patients, respectively. The overall response rate was 63% and the complete response rate was 46%. De median duration of response was 27.6 months (95% CI 14.5-NR) among patients achieving complete response. After a median follow-up of 24 months, the median progression-free survival was 4.7 months (95% CI 2.0-6.9) and the median overall survival was 8.5 months (5.1-25.4), with 2-year PFS and OS rate of 29% and 38%, respectively. The authors conclude that CAR-T demonstrated clinical efficacy for patients with RT.