High-risk Large B-cell Lymphoma Research Articles

Epcoritamab with R-CHOP Overcomes Poor Risk Features of High Total Metabolic Tumor Volume in High-Risk Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Epcoritamab with R-CHOP Overcomes Poor Risk Features of High Total Metabolic Tumor Volume in High-Risk Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Polatuzumab Vedotin (Polivy)


 CADTH recommends that Polivy in combination with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone (R-CHP) not be reimbursed by public drug plans for the treatment of adult patients with previously untreated large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL), including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified (NOS), high-grade B-cell lymphoma, Epstein-Barr virus–positive DLBCL NOS, and T-cell/histiocyte-rich LBCL.
 Evidence from a clinical trial showed that 6.6% more patients with newly diagnosed moderate- to high-risk LBCL were alive without their disease progressing 2 years after treatment with Polivy in combination with R-CHP compared to those treated with traditional chemoimmunotherapy (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone [R-CHOP]). However, there is uncertainty whether this difference observed in the clinical trial translates to a meaningful difference in the real world. The evidence from the trial did not show that Polivy combined with R-CHP prolonged survival compared to R-CHOP. It is also unknown if Polivy in combination with R-CHP would reduce disease symptoms or improve functioning compared to R-CHOP because there were no differences between the 2 groups.
 Patients identified a need for treatments that prolong disease remission, prolong survival, control disease symptoms, normalize blood counts, and improve quality of life. Based on the evidence submitted, it is not clear that Polivy in combination with R-CHP would provide a meaningful benefit in prolonging remission or meet the other important needs in LBCL.

3-Year Analysis of ZUMA-12: A Phase 2 Study of Axicabtagene Ciloleucel (Axi-Cel) As First-Line Therapy in Patients with High-Risk Large B-Cell Lymphoma (LBCL)

Background: Axi-cel is an autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy approved for the treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) LBCL. ZUMA-12 (NCT03761056) is a Phase 2, multicenter, single-arm study of axi-cel as part of first-line treatment in patients with high-risk LBCL. In the primary efficacy analysis (n=37; median follow-up of 15.9 months), axi-cel demonstrated a high rate of investigator-assessed complete response (CR; 78%; 95% CI, 62-90) and an 89% objective response rate (ORR; 95% CI, 75-97). Axi-cel also had a manageable safety profile, with no new safety signals observed in the first-line setting (Neelapu et al. Nat Med. 2022). Here, we report updated efficacy and safety outcomes from ZUMA-12 in all patients treated with axi-cel after a median follow-up of ≥40 months. Methods: Eligible adults had high-risk LBCL, with MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 rearrangements (double- or triple-hit histology) per investigator or an International Prognostic Index (IPI) score ≥3, plus a positive interim PET per Lugano classification (Deauville score 4/5) after 2 cycles of an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody and anthracycline-containing regimen. Patients underwent leukapheresis, followed by lymphodepleting chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide and fludarabine) on Days -5, -4, and -3, and a single axi-cel infusion of 2×10 6 CAR T cells/kg on Day 0. Per investigator discretion, non-chemotherapy bridging could be administered. The primary endpoint was investigator-assessed CR rate per Lugano classification (Cheson et al. J Clin Oncol. 2014). Secondary endpoints included ORR, duration of response (DOR), event-free survival (EFS), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), safety, and levels of CAR T cells in blood and cytokines in serum. Results: As of May 3, 2023, 42 patients were enrolled and 40 were treated with axi-cel, with a median follow-up of 40.9 months (range, 29.5-50.2). In total, 37 patients were evaluable for response (centrally confirmed double- or triple-hit histology or IPI score ≥3). The CR rate was 86% (95% CI, 71-95), and 92% (95% CI, 78-98) of patients had an objective response. Patients with centrally confirmed double- or triple-hit histology (n=10) had a CR rate of 90%. Responses were ongoing in 73% of response-evaluable patients at data cutoff. Medians for DOR, EFS, PFS, and OS were not reached. The 36-month estimates for DOR, EFS (Figure 1), PFS, and OS (Figure 2) were 82%, 73%, 75%, and 81%, respectively. All treated patients (n=40) experienced adverse events (AEs) of any grade and 88% of patients had grade ≥3 AEs. Similar to the primary analysis, the most common any-grade AEs were pyrexia (100%), headache (70%), and neutrophil count decreased (55%). No new cases of cytokine release syndrome (CRS) or neurologic events of any grade occurred since the prior data cut and all cases of CRS and neurologic events reported were resolved by data cutoff. Prolonged cytopenias of any grade (present Day ≥30 post-infusion) occurred in 9 patients (n=7 neutrophil count decreased) and were resolved by data cutoff. There were 8 deaths due to progressive disease (n=5) and other causes not related to axi-cel (1 COVID-19, 1 esophageal adenocarcinoma, 1 septic shock on Days 350, 535, and 287 post axi-cel infusion, respectively). Two of the 8 deaths (1 progressive disease and 1 esophageal adenocarcinoma) occurred after the primary analysis. Among treated patients, post-infusion CAR T-cell expansion by peak and area under the curve was 36.9 cells/µL and 368.0 cells/µL×days, respectively, in those with ongoing responses at data cutoff (n=17), 45.1 cells/µL and 413.4 cells/µL×days in those who relapsed (n=6), and 34.7 cells/µL and 566.8 cells/µL×days in non-responders (n=3). Conclusion: In this updated analysis of ZUMA-12 with a median follow-up of ≥40 months, axi-cel demonstrated a high rate of durable responses and no new safety signals. Axi-cel may benefit patients exposed to fewer prior therapies and those with high-risk LBCL, a population with high unmet need and poor outcomes after standard first-line chemoimmunotherapy.

Evolving Role of CAR T Cell Therapy in First- and Second-Line Treatment of Large B Cell Lymphoma.

We review the recent practice-changing trials of anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies in large B cell lymphoma (LBCL) including phase 3 comparisons with second-line standard-of-care (SOC) and phase 2 investigations in transplant-ineligible patients or as part of first-line treatment. ZUMA-7 found significantly improved overall survival and event-free survival (EFS) with axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) versus SOC of salvage chemotherapy followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation. This represents the first such survival improvement in nearly 30years for early-relapsed or refractory (r/r) LBCL. TRANSFORM demonstrated prolonged EFS for lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) versus SOC but BELINDA did not for tisagenlecleucel. Second-line CAR T cell was a viable curative-intent therapy in elderly (ZUMA-7; axi-cel) and/or transplant-ineligible (PILOT; liso-cel) patients. ZUMA-12 demonstrated effectiveness for axi-cel as part of first-line treatment for high-risk LBCL. These results support a role for CAR T cell therapy as new second-line SOC for r/r LBCL and highlight its potential evolution into future first-line treatment for high-risk disease.

Consolidative Autotransplantation Achieves High Cure Rates in Adverse-Risk Large B Cell Lymphoma

There remains an unmet need to optimize the first-line treatment of patients with high-risk large B cell lymphoma (LBCL), particularly those with a high International Prognostic Index (IPI) score or a positive interim positron emission tomography (PET) scan who experience poor outcomes with R-CHOP. This study was conducted to evaluate the real-world effectiveness of consolidative autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) among patients with high-risk LBCL. This retrospective study included consecutive patients with LBCL and IPI score 4 or 5 who underwent consolidative ASCT as part of first-line therapy in Alberta, Canada. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and disease-specific survival (DSS) were determined using the Kaplan-Meier method. The study cohort comprised 114 patients with median age of 60 years (range, 18 to 73 years), of whom 81 (71%) had an IPI score of 4 and 33 (29%) had an IPI score of 5. With a median follow-up of 5.6 years, the 5-year PFS was 72% (95% confidence interval [CI], 62% to 79%), 5-year OS was 74% (95% CI, 64% to 81%), and 5-year DSS was 80% (95% CI, 71% to 87%). There was no significant difference in PFS among patients with and patients without positive interim PET scans (n = 24), MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 rearrangements (n = 26), or central nervous system involvement (n = 15). Consolidative ASCT is associated with high cure rates and favorable survival outcomes in patients with high-risk LBCL and may overcome the adverse prognostic impact of a positive interim PET scan.

CAR-T Therapy in Patients With High-Risk Large B-Cell Lymphoma

CAR-T Therapy in Patients With High-Risk Large B-Cell Lymphoma

ZUMA-23: A global, phase 3, randomized controlled study of axicabtagene ciloleucel versus standard of care as first-line therapy in patients with high-risk large B-cell lymphoma.

TPS7578 Background: The nearly 40% of patients (pts) with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) who are refractory to or relapse after current first-line (1L) standard-of-care (SOC) regimens, such as R-CHOP (rituximab [R] + cyclophosphamide [C], doxorubicin [H], vincristine [O], and prednisone [P]) and DA-EPOCH-R (dose-adjusted etoposide [DA-E]), have poor prognoses. High International Prognostic Index (IPI) score and the subtype of high-grade B-cell lymphoma (HGBL) are associated with shorter progression-free and overall survival (PFS and OS; Nastoupil LJ and Bartlett NL. J Clin Oncol. 2023). Strategies to improve outcomes in these subgroups have been largely unsuccessful; therefore, therapeutic options with a different mechanism of action are needed. Axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) is an autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy approved to treat pts with relapsed/refractory (R/R) LBCL after demonstrating significant clinical benefit as 2L (ZUMA-7; Locke FL, et al. N Engl J Med. 2022) and ≥3L (ZUMA-1; Neelapu SS, et al. N Engl J Med. 2017) therapy. Additionally, in the Phase 2 ZUMA-12 study in pts with refractory 1L LBCL, axi-cel showed a high rate of durable responses with an objective response rate of 89% (complete response rate, 78%) and an ongoing response rate of 73% (median follow-up, 15.9 mo; Neelapu SS, et al. Nat Med. 2022). ZUMA-23 is the first Phase 3, randomized controlled study to evaluate CAR T-cell therapy as a 1L regimen for any cancer and will assess axi-cel versus SOC in pts with high-risk LBCL, defined as IPI 4-5. Methods: The Phase 3 trial design will enroll ≈300 adult pts with high-risk, histologically confirmed LBCL based on the 2016 WHO classification, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), HGBL, and transformed follicular or marginal zone lymphoma (Swerdlow SH, et al. Blood. 2016). Eligible pts will receive 1 cycle of R-chemotherapy and then be randomized 1:1 to receive axi-cel or continue with SOC. Pts in the axi-cel arm will undergo leukapheresis and then receive R-CHOP or DA-EPOCH-R as bridging therapy, followed by lymphodepleting chemotherapy (fludarabine/cyclophosphamide), and a single axi-cel infusion (2×106 CAR T cells/kg). Prophylactic corticosteroids may be administered to reduce the incidence and severity of cytokine release syndrome at the investigator’s discretion. Pts in the SOC arm will receive 5 additional cycles of R-CHOP or DA-EPOCH-R (investigator’s choice). The primary endpoint is event-free survival by blinded central review. Key secondary endpoints are OS and PFS. Safety, quality of life, and pharmacokinetics will also be assessed. Pts with a history of HIV and/or hepatitis B or C and undetectable viral loads may enroll. Key exclusion criteria include LBCL of the central nervous system. ZUMA-23 is open for enrollment (NCT05605899). Clinical trial information: NCT05371093 .

17th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma, Palazzo dei Congressi, Lugano, Switzerland, 13 - 17 June, 2023.

17th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma, Palazzo dei Congressi, Lugano, Switzerland, 13 - 17 June, 2023.

Real-World Outcomes of Consolidative Autotransplant for High-Risk Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Background: Although there have been significant recent advances in the treatment of relapsed/refractory (r/r) large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL), there remains a substantial unmet need to optimize the frontline management of high-risk LBCL. Patients with high International Prognostic Index (IPI) scores 4-5 have particularly poor progression-free survival (PFS) rates of ~50% with R-CHOP, and 2-year PFS may be as low as 10-25% for patients with positive interim PET scans. In the phase III DLCL04 and SWOG-9704 trials, the use of upfront consolidative autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) after R-CHOP resulted in significant improvements in PFS, with the latter study also demonstrating a significant improvement in overall survival (OS) in the age-adjusted high IPI subgroup. Furthermore, the GAINED trial demonstrated favorable outcomes using an interim PET-adapted strategy, where consolidative ASCT appeared to overcome the poor prognostic impact of a positive interim PET. However, there is only limited and conflicting data from prospective or retrospective studies concerning ASCT consolidation for the highest risk patients with LBCL and IPI score 4-5, particularly those with positive interim PET scans. Methods: This retrospective, multicenter study included consecutive patients with newly diagnosed LBCL and high IPI score 4-5 who received consolidative ASCT as a planned part of first-line therapy at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre and Cross Cancer Institute in Alberta, Canada. Patients were excluded if they had primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma, previously treated indolent B-cell lymphoma, or underwent ASCT for r/r LBCL. PFS, OS, and disease-specific survival (DSS) were determined using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results: We included 114 patients with median age 60 years (range 18-73) and median follow-up time 5.6 years. High-risk features at diagnosis included IPI score 4 in 81 (71%), IPI score 5 in 33 (29%), stage IV in 112 (98%), >1 extranodal site in 109 (96%), non-GCB cell of origin by Hans’ algorithm in 32 (28%), double-hit lymphoma in 26 (23%), and secondary CNS involvement in 15 (13%). The most common induction regimen was R-CHOP (n=102) and 25 (22%) patients received 1-3 cycles, 71 (62%) received 4 cycles, and 18 (16%) received 5-6 cycles of induction. Rituximab with dose-intensive cyclophosphamide, etoposide, and cisplatin (R-DICEP) was frequently used (n=69) to intensify induction and for peripheral blood stem cell mobilization. Interim PET was performed during induction for 45 patients and was positive (Deauville 4-5) in 24 (53%) and negative (Deauville 1-3) in 21 (47%). Pre-ASCT disease status was complete response (CR) in 68 (60%), partial response (PR) in 43 (38%), and unknown in 3 (3%) patients. The most common ASCT conditioning regimens were BEAM in 41 (36%), BuMel in 39 (34%), and TBM in 13 (11%) patients. At 2 years, PFS was 82% (95% CI 74-88%), OS was 86% (95% CI 78-91%), and DSS was 87% (95% CI 79-92%). At 5 years, PFS was 72% (95% CI 62-80%), OS was 74% (95% CI 64-81%), and DSS was 80% (95% CI 71-87%). Relapse occurred in 21 (18%) patients at median 284 days (range 168-2229) after ASCT. There was 1 (1%) death due to early transplant-related infection and 3 (3%) late deaths from pulmonary fibrosis and therapy-related myeloid neoplasms. There were no significant differences in DSS for patients with versus without CNS involvement (77% vs. 80%, p=0.62), double-hit lymphoma versus DLBCL NOS (85% vs. 78%, p=0.80), GCB versus non-GCB cell of origin (78% vs. 80%, p=0.89) and positive versus negative interim PET (83% vs. 74%, p=0.51). Discussion: In this study of 114 selected patients with high-risk LBCL with IPI score 4-5, consolidative ASCT was associated with excellent outcomes with long-term disease-specific survival in 80%. Importantly, the efficacy of consolidative ASCT appeared to be independent of adverse prognostic factors including CNS involvement, double-hit status, non-GCB cell of origin, and interim PET positivity. The results of our study are consistent with those of previous clinical trials and provide real-world evidence confirming that consolidative ASCT can be considered a reasonable treatment option for eligible patients with high-risk LBCL. Figure 1View largeDownload PPTFigure 1View largeDownload PPT Close modal

Biomarker-Driven Treatment Strategy in High-Risk Large B-Cell Lymphoma: Final Results of a Nordic Phase 2 Study

Introduction: Survival of patients with high-risk large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL), particularly those with biological risk factors, including chromosomal translocation of BCL2 and MYC oncogenes (double hit; DH) or deletion of 17p/TP53 is suboptimal in response to standard rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone (R-CHOP) immunochemotherapy. We designed a Nordic Lymphoma Group (NLG-LBC-06) phase II trial to evaluate feasibility and efficacy of a biological risk-adapted treatment strategy in young patients with high-risk aggressive B-cell lymphoma. Methods: Patients aged <65 years with high-risk aggressive B-cell lymphoma (age adjusted International Prognostic Index (aaIPI)≥2 and/or site-specific risk factors for central nervous system (CNS) relapse) were included. All patients received two cycles of R-CHOP-21 with high dose methotrexate (HD) on day 15 and depending on the biological risk factors either four additional courses of biweekly R-CHOP with etoposide (R-CHOEP-14; no biological risk factors) or four courses of dose-adjusted etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone, and rituximab (DA-EPOCH-R; biological risk factors). In addition, one course of R-HD-cytarabine was given to all patients. Biological high-risk was defined as a presence of at least one of the following factors: C-MYC translocation, DH, 17p/TP53 deletion, co-expression of MYC and BCL2 (double protein expression; DPE), P53+ and/or CD5+. Central pathology review was performed by national referral pathologists. Primary end point was 3-year failure free survival (FFS) of the patients with biological risk factors. Results: Between Aug 2017 and Jan 2021, 127 patients were recruited across 14 Nordic centers. At central pathology review, four cases were excluded due to unsuccessful stratification. Median age of the eligible patients was 55 years (range 19-64). Majority of the patients had DLBCL not otherwise specified (n=102; 83%), stage IV disease (n=84; 68%), elevated LDH (n=107; 87%), or B-symptoms (n=72; 59%). C-MYC translocation, DH, 17p/p53 deletion, DPE, P53+ and CD5+ was observed in 20 (17%), 14 (11%), 19 (17%), 39 (32%), 17 (14%) and 8 (7%) of the cases, respectively. Sixty-one patients (50%) were stratified to the biological high-risk group. Most patients (n=112; 91%) received full treatment schedule. In addition, twenty-three patients (19%) received radiotherapy per protocol. Of the 111 patients who underwent response evaluation at the end of immunochemotherapy, 87 (78%) achieved a complete metabolic remission. Treatment failure was recorded in 23 (19%) patients; seven due to adverse event, five due to primary refractory disease and 10 due to lymphoma relapse or progression during follow-up, including two CNS events and one death from other disease. After a median follow up of 37 months (1-63), 3-year FFS, progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were 79%, 83% and 90%, respectively. Outcome was comparable in biologically high- and low-risk patients (Figure 1, left). Based on a preplanned historical comparison, and after correction for age and aaIPI, FFS of the biological high-risk group (HR, 0,89; 95% CI 0,38-1,71; p=0,58; Figure 1, right) and the entire NLG-LBC-06 study population (HR, 1,03; 95% CI 0,60-1,79; p=0,91) were comparable to FFS of the patients treated in our previous NLG-LBC-05 trial (Leppä et al., 2019). In a multivariate analysis with age and aaIPI, 17p/TP53 deletion remained the only significant biological risk factor for progression and death. Conclusions: Stratification according to biological risk factors is feasible. Safety and efficacy results are encouraging and comparable to our previous study with low number of treatment failures and favorable survival rates. Furthermore, our results indicate that treatment intensification can overcome the adverse impact of biological risk factors, apart from 17p/TP53 deletion. Figure 1View largeDownload PPTFigure 1View largeDownload PPT Close modal

Survival Outcomes for High Risk Primary Refractory and Relapsed Large B-Cell Lymphoma (LBCL) within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA)

Introduction: Even in the Rituxan era, patients with primary refractory or relapsed LBCL have poor outcomes. The standard of care for these patients is salvage therapy (ST) as second-line treatment followed by high dose therapy with autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) in chemosensitive patients with an estimated 30-40% of ST responders deemed eligible to undergo transplant (PMID: 28774879). Currently, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is the standard of care for high risk LBCL (high International Prognostic Index (IPI), HIT status) who do not respond to ST and have manageable safety profiles and high efficacy. Promising CAR T data is also emerging for early chemotherapy failure and as alternative second-line therapy (PMID: 35314842). The purpose of this study is to analyze the treatment patterns and survival outcomes of primary refractory and relapsed population of LBCL within the VHA. Methods: This is a retrospective chart review of 5199 randomly selected patients with an ICD code for lymphoma treated within the VHA between 01/01/2011 and 12/31/2019. Data abstractors included patients with LBCL who completed first-line chemotherapy treatment and had documented post-treatment scans (PET, CT). We defined primary refractory as either stable disease (SD) or progressive disease (PD) based on post-treatment scans and relapsed disease as recurrence of disease within 12 months of post treatment scans. Median overall survival (OS) was calculated using the Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test. Results: A total of 2288 patients met inclusion criteria who received or completed treatment at the VHA. Baseline characteristics are outlined in Table 1. From our analysis, 299 (13.1%) of patients were primary refractory. Median age was 68.9 years and 97% were male. European Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) was 0-2 (81.3%). Stage at diagnosis was III-IV (83.9%). Most patients had an IPI score ≥3 (85%). Germinal center B-Cell (GCB) accounted for 48.2% while Activated B-Cell (ABC) was 24.4%. Gene rearrangement was present in 26% of the patients with available data. Of the 119 (63.9%) patients who received second line treatment, only 19 (6.4%) were able to receive high dose chemotherapy and underwent an ASCT and only 3 (1%) of patients received CAR T-cell therapy. One year and two year overall survival was 47.8% and 24.7% respectively. Median OS for this population was 11.0 months. There were 105 (4.6%) relapsed patients in our cohort. Median age was 64.7 years and 96.2% were male. ECOG was 0-2 (85.7%). Stage at diagnosis was III-IV at 84.8%. Most patients had an IPI score ≥3 (80%). GCB accounted for 37.1% while ABC was 35.2%. Gene rearrangement was present for 20% of the patients with available data. In this group, 16 (15.2%) of patients received high dose chemotherapy and ASCT and only 3 (2.9%) received CAR T-cell therapy. One year and two year overall survival was 72% and 41% respectively. Median OS for this population was 21.3 months. 1403 (61%) of patients had complete response (CR) with a 1 and 2 year survival rate of 97 % and 93 % respectively and median OS of 69.3 months. Conclusion: This is one of largest data sets studying the rate of primary refractory and relapsed LBCL in the VHA and shows that more than two-thirds of these patients have high risk disease. Furthermore, a significant portion of these veterans did not receive second-line therapy including ASCT as compared to previously reported real world and clinical trial data. It is possible that our patient populations had higher rates of chemoresistance, were deemed ineligible for transplant due to age or performance status, or had higher comorbidities. Emerging data on newer antibodies and CAR T-cell therapy for early chemotherapy failure or second-line therapy might be a more appropriate option for our veteran population. In conclusion, CAR T-Cell therapy will likely replace the treatment paradigm for primary refractory or relapsed disease for early treatment failures in patients with LBCL. Figure 1View largeDownload PPTFigure 1View largeDownload PPT Close modal

Axicabtagene ciloleucel as first-line therapy in high-risk large B-cell lymphoma: the phase 2 ZUMA-12 trial

High-risk large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) has poor outcomes with standard first-line chemoimmunotherapy. In the phase 2, multicenter, single-arm ZUMA-12 study (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03761056) we evaluated axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel), an autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, as part of first-line treatment in 40 patients with high-risk LBCL. This trial has completed accrual. The primary outcome was complete response rate (CRR). Secondary outcomes were objective response rate (ORR), duration of response (DOR), event-free survival (EFS), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), assessment of safety, central nervous system (CNS) relapse and blood levels of CAR T cells and cytokines. The primary endpoint in efficacy-evaluable patients (n = 37) was met, with 78% CRR (95% confidence interval (CI), 62–90) and 89% ORR (95% CI, 75–97). As of 17 May 2021 (median follow-up, 15.9 months), 73% of patients remained in objective response; median DOR, EFS and PFS were not reached. Grade ≥3 cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurologic events occurred in three patients (8%) and nine patients (23%), respectively. There were no treatment-related grade 5 events. Robust CAR T-cell expansion occurred in all patients with a median time to peak of 8 days. We conclude that axi-cel is highly effective as part of first-line therapy for high-risk LBCL, with a manageable safety profile.

12 - Primary Analysis (PA) of Zuma-12: A Phase 2 Study of Axicabtagene Ciloleucel (Axi-Cel) As First-Line Therapy in Patients (Pts) with High-Risk Large B-Cell Lymphoma (LBCL)

12 - Primary Analysis (PA) of Zuma-12: A Phase 2 Study of Axicabtagene Ciloleucel (Axi-Cel) As First-Line Therapy in Patients (Pts) with High-Risk Large B-Cell Lymphoma (LBCL)

Primary Analysis of ZUMA-12: A Phase 2 Study of Axicabtagene Ciloleucel (Axi-Cel) As First-Line Therapy in Patients with High-Risk Large B-Cell Lymphoma (LBCL)

Primary Analysis of ZUMA-12: A Phase 2 Study of Axicabtagene Ciloleucel (Axi-Cel) As First-Line Therapy in Patients with High-Risk Large B-Cell Lymphoma (LBCL)

Interim Analysis of ZUMA-12: A Phase 2 Study of Axicabtagene Ciloleucel (Axi-Cel) as First-Line Therapy in Patients (Pts) With High-Risk Large B Cell Lymphoma (LBCL)

Interim Analysis of ZUMA-12: A Phase 2 Study of Axicabtagene Ciloleucel (Axi-Cel) as First-Line Therapy in Patients (Pts) With High-Risk Large B Cell Lymphoma (LBCL)

ZUMA-12: A phase 2 multicenter study of axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) as a first-line therapy in patients (pts) with high-risk large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL).

TPS7574 Background: Pts with LBCL who have persistent disease assessed by dynamic PET after rituximab-based induction therapy have an increased risk of death (Casasnovas, et al. Blood. 2017). Axi-cel is an autologous anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy approved for the treatment of pts with relapsed/refractory LBCL with ≥ 2 prior systemic therapies. In ZUMA-1, the registrational study of axi-cel in pts with refractory LBCL, the objective response rate (ORR) was 91% (70% complete response [CR] rate) in pts with double-expressor or high-grade LBCL with ongoing responses in 48% after a median follow-up of 27.1 mos (Locke FL, et al. Lancet Oncol 2019). Furthermore, pts with fewer prior lines of therapy and lower tumor burden had higher rates of ongoing responses and manageable safety (Locke et al. ASCO 2018. 3039). ZUMA-12 will investigate the efficacy and safety of axi-cel as a first-line therapy in newly diagnosed pts with high-risk LBCL who have PET-positive disease after 2 cycles of induction therapy. Methods: This Phase 2 study has a planned enrollment of ≈40 pts aged ≥ 18 y with high-risk LBCL, defined by the presence of MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 translocations by FISH or an IPI score ≥ 3 any time before enrollment, and an ECOG performance status of 0 – 1. Before enrollment, pts must have a Deauville score of 4 – 5 (Barrington SF et al. J Clin Oncol. 2014) after 2 cycles of chemoimmunotherapy that includes an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody and anthracycline. After leukapheresis, pts with bulky or rapidly progressing disease may receive optional non-chemotherapy bridging therapy. Following conditioning therapy with cyclophosphamide (500 mg/m2) and fludarabine (30 mg/m2) for 3 days, pts will receive a single infusion of axi-cel at a target dose of 2 × 106 CAR T cells/kg. The primary endpoint is investigator-assessed CR rate per the Lugano classification (Cheson et al. J Clin Oncol. 2014). Key secondary endpoints include ORR, duration of response, event-free survival, progression-free survival, overall response, safety, relapse with CNS disease and levels of blood CAR T cells and serum cytokines over time. Accrual is ongoing. Clinical trial information: NCT03761056.