By Robert Preidt
HealthDay reporter
FRIDAY, April 2, 2021 (HealthDay News) – The combination of stem cell transplants with state-of-the-art immunotherapy prevents leukemia relapses in young people and improves their chances of survival.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common childhood cancer.
This study included 50 patients (ages 4 to 30) with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who received CAR-T cell therapy. The treatment genetically changes a patient’s own immune cells to make them more effective at killing cancer. (CAR is an abbreviation for chimeric antigen receptor.)
While CAR-T cell therapy initially causes complete remission in 60% to 100% of patients, relapses occur in many patients. One study found that more than 40% had relapsed 13 months after treatment.
This study looked at whether stem cell transplants could help prevent relapse in patients who had undergone CAR T cell treatment.
Of 21 patients who received donor stem cell transplants after CAR-T cell therapy, 9.5% had a relapse 24 months later, the study said. All patients who did not have a stem cell transplant relapsed at this point.
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The results, recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, suggest that stem cell transplants offer long-term benefits to young researchers receiving CAR-T cell therapy, according to researchers at the University of Virginia.
“More than 50% of children in other studies with another CAR relapse, with the majority of them losing the goal the CAR is trying to achieve,” said Dr. Daniel Lee, pediatric oncologist and director of pediatric stem cell transplantation and immunotherapy at UVA Children’s Hospital in Charlottesville.
“Most of these children have had a single attempt at this life-saving and paradigm shifting therapy called CAR T cells. We should do everything we can to maximize the chance of a cure, and right now that means a post-CAR transplant for am most, “added Lee.
He noted that many parents are turning to CAR T cells in hopes of avoiding a stem cell transplant.
“But,” he added, “there is a window of opportunity, according to CARs, to cure more of these incurable children with a transplant. Our study shows this.”
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More information
The American Cancer Society is more concerned with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Source: University of Virginia, press release, March 31, 2021
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