PET/CT predicts patient responses to CAR-T cell therapy

F-18 FDG-PET/CT scans may predict outcomes in patients with large B cell lymphoma undergoing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, according to a presentation delivered November 30 at RSNA. Doris Leithner, MD, of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, presented a study in which researchers explored whether F-18 FDG-PET/CT imaging features acquired prior to treatment with CAR T-cell therapy were related to patient outcomes. They found the imaging features were strongly associated with death, relapse, and disease progression.“Our results demonstrate that quantitative PET imaging features in LBCL may serve as biomarkers for CAR T-cell therapy toxicity and likelihood of treatment failure,” Leithner said.Large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) is the most prevalent type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, with about 50% of patients experiencing primary refractory or relapse after initial conventional treatments, Leithner explained. CAR T-cell therapy has provided new hope for these patients, yet up to 60% still experience disease progression within six months due to immune system reactions to the treatment. “Because of this, and also due to the timing, financial, and infrastructural demands of CART T-cell therapy, we desperately need biomarkers that predict risk of treatment failure before CAR T-cell treatment,” Leithner said. F-18 FDG-PET/CT scans are standard procedures for staging LBCL patients and assessing responses to conventional therapy, but its role in CAR...
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