Octogenarians with B-cell lymphoma may be considered for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell treatment, according to a study led by Mohamed A. Kharfan-Dabaja, MD, MBA, of the Mayo Clinic, published in Bone Marrow Transplantation.
The multicenter, observational study assessed 88 patients ages 80 years or older (median age, 82 years), most (n=60; 68.2%) of whom had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Most patients received axicabtagene ciloleucel (n=41; 46.6%) or lisocabtagene maraleucel (n=25; 28.4%).
More than three-quarters of patients (n=68; 77.3%) experienced any-grade cytokine release syndrome (CRS), and more than half (n=51; 58.0%) experienced immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). Grade 3/4 CRS and ICANS occurred in 7.4% and 31.4% of patients, respectively.
One-year outcomes
For patients with DLBCL and transformed follicular lymphoma, one-year outcomes included:
- 6% nonrelapse mortality rate
- 8% relapse rate
- 6% progression-free survival rate
- 2% overall survival rate
“We conclude that CAR-T is feasible and effective in patients 80 years or older with B-cell lymphomas,” according to the authors. “These patients must be provided the opportunity to be evaluated for this curative approach.”
Reference
Kharfan-Dabaja MA, Mohty R, Easwar N, et al. Chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy in octogenarians with B cell lymphoma: a real-world US multicenter collaborative study. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2025. doi:10.1038/s41409-025-02541-1
