Outcome Prediction in Patients With Large B-cell Lymphoma Undergoing Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell Therapy

The introduction of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has led to a fundamental shift in the management of relapsed and refractory large B-cell lymphoma. However, our understanding of risk factors associated with non-response is still insufficient and the search for predictive biomarkers continues. Some parameters measurable on ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) may be of additional value in this context. A total of 47 individuals from three German university centers who underwent re-staging with PET prior to CAR T-cell therapy were enrolled into the present study. After multivariable analysis considering tumor characteristics and patient factors that might affect progression-free survival (PFS), we investigated whether metabolic tumor volume (MTV) or maximum standardized uptake value (SUV_max) further improve risk stratification. Their most suitable cut-offs were determined by Cox and logistic regression. Forward selection identified extra-nodal disease as the most predictive factor of those routinely available, and we found it to be associated with significantly inferior overall survival after CAR T-cell treatment (P = 0.012). Furthermore, patients with MTV and SUV_max higher than the optimal threshold of 11 mL and 16.7, respectively, experienced shorter PFS (P = 0.016 and 0.002, respectively). Hence, these risk factors might be useful for selection of individuals likely to benefit from CAR T-cell therapy and their management.