Is CAR-T-cell therapy targeting BCMA safe and effective for patients with multiple myeloma?

The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a type of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cell therapy that targets B-cell maturation antigens (BCMA) for patients with multiple myeloma (MM). The study found that patients had a very good response to therapy, while there was a high risk of side effects.

MM is a type of blood cancer that impacts the bone marrow. Newer therapy for MM includes a type of immunotherapy called CAR-T-cell therapy. CAR-T-cells are healthy immune cells that are genetically modified to express CAR. The CAR can identify tumor cells and flag them to be destroyed. Different types of CAR exist which identify different parts of the tumor cell. One type of CAR that is being explored as a therapy targets BCMA. BCMA is used by the cancer cells to help the tumor grow and survive.

CAR-T-cells that target BCMA are being explored as a therapy for patients with MM. However, the safety and effectiveness of this therapy is not clear.

This study evaluated the results of 27 clinical trials. The study included 640 patients with MM overall. Patients were given different types of CAR-T-cell therapy that targeted BMCA.

80.3% of patients reported cytokine release syndrome (CRS) as a side effect. CRS is a condition caused by a rapid release of immune cells called cytokines into the blood of the patient from immune cells affected by the treatment. CRS can cause fever, nausea, skin rash, an increase in heartbeat, low blood pressure, and trouble breathing. 14.1% of patients had severe CRS. 10.5% of patients reported nerve damage. Patients who had received more previous treatments were more likely to experience side effects.

80.5% of patients had a response to therapy. 44.8% of patients had a complete response (disappearance of cancer signs) to therapy. Patients were more likely to have a complete response if they had not been previously treated. The average time without progression of the disease was 12.2 months.

This study found that patients who received CAR-T-cell therapy that targets BCMA had a very good response to therapy, with a high risk of side effects.

There are several different types of CAR-T-cell therapy that target BCMA. Trials evaluating the different types of BCMA targeting therapy were designed differently. This study could not directly compare the different types of BCMA targeting therapy.