Blinatumomab vs Chemotherapy Among Children With Relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia —Reply

In Reply We concur with Dr Shibusawa and colleagues that some authors have suggested that the presence of a high percentage of regulatory T cells in peripheral blood was associated with a lower probability of response to blinatumomab. However, we are not aware of any study indicating that a high percentage of regulatory T cells can affect the probability of response to chemotherapy. In our randomized clinical trial, blinatumomab was superior to chemotherapy for event-free survival in children with relapsed B-ALL. Therefore, the hypothesis raised by Shibusawa and colleagues does not explain the improved outcomes for patients randomized to immunotherapy.
Source: JAMA - Category: General Medicine Source Type: research