Dr. Leslie on Axi-Cel Vs SOC in Relapsed/Refractory Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Lori A. Leslie, MD, assistant professor, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, director, Indolent Lymphoma and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Research Programs, John Theurer Cancer Center, discusses results from the primary analysis of the phase 3 ZUMA‑7 trial (NCT03391466), which evaluated axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel; Yescarta) vs standard‑of‑care (SOC) therapy in patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma.

Results from the study, which were presented during the 2021 ASH Annual Meeting, demonstrated that the 24-month event-free survival rate was 40.5% in patients treated with axi-cel vs 16.3% in those who received SOC, according to Leslie. Moreover, patients who received the CAR T-cell therapy experienced an overall response rate (ORR) of 83% and a complete response (CR) rate of 65%; these rates were 50% and 32%, respectively, with SOC.

The median overall survival (OS) had not yet been reached in the axi-cel arm vs 35.1 months in the SOC arm, a difference that was not found to be statistically significant, Leslie notes. Areas of interest include learning more about the OS benefit derived with the CAR T-cell therapy, and exploring the opportunity to utilize this product earlier on in treatment, Leslie concludes.