Harmonizing Immune Effector Toxicity Reporting

Recognizing and Grading CAR T-Cell Toxicities: An Advanced Practitioner Perspective

Over the past decade, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has significantly improved the outlook for many patients with relapsed and/or refractory B-cell malignancies. The use of CAR T-cell therapy and other therapeutic immune effector cells will likely continue to expand with the development of other targets and use in solid tumors. Although these therapies have shown significant promise in the treatment of some malignancies, they can be associated with unique toxicities including cytokine release syndrome and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome which can be fatal if not identified early and treated appropriately. An understanding of how best to manage the toxicities associated with CAR T-cell therapy is continually evolving. Institutions providing CAR T-cell therapy have undergone changes in infrastructure and staffing models in order to safely care for patients receiving this novel therapy. As members of a multi-disciplinary health care team, advanced practice providers play significant roles in caring for this patient population and must be well-versed in the recognition, grading, and appropriate management of CAR T-cell therapy-related toxicities as these providers care for patients in multiple settings across the continuum of care.

Acute Kidney Injury after CAR-T Cell Therapy: Low Incidence and Rapid Recovery

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy using engineered cytotoxic T cells has shown promising responses in various hematologic malignancies. Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurologic syndrome (ICANS) are recognized toxicities of CAR-T, whereas kidney injury remains less well recognized. The objective of the present study was to identify the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) after CAR-T cell therapy, potential risk factors, and recovery of kidney function. We performed a retrospective review of 46 adult patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma treated with CAR-T therapy between February 2018 and February 2019 at our institution. Serum creatinine values before CAR-T therapy through day 100 were used to assess AKI, as defined by the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria: grade 1, 1.5- to <2-fold of baseline; grade 2, 2- to <3-fold of baseline; grade 3, ≥3-fold of baseline. CRS and ICANS were graded using the consensus criteria of the American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. The overall incidence of CRS was 78.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 66% to 90.5%), of whom 13% (95% CI, 3.3% to 22.8%) developed grade 3-4 CRS, whereas the overall incidence of ICANS was lower at 45.7% (95% CI, 3.1% to 60.3%). The cumulative incidence of any grade AKI by day 100 was 30% (95% CI, 16.9% to 43.9%), with a grade 1 AKI incidence of 21.7% (95% CI, 9.7% to 33.8%) and a grade 2-3 AKI incidence of 8.7% (95% CI, .4% to 17%). No patients developed severe AKI necessitating renal replacement therapy. Patients with previous autologous or allogeneic stem cell transplantation, those requiring intensive care unit level care and with grade 3-4 CRS had a higher incidence of AKI. Most patients recovered, with kidney function returning to baseline within 30 days. We conclude that with early recognition and management of CAR-T complications, the incidence of AKI is low, the severity of injury is mild, and most patients recover kidney function within 30 days.

Use of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy in Clinical Practice for Relapsed/Refractory Aggressive B Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: An Expert Panel Opinion from the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy

Axicabtagene ciloleucel (YESCARTA; Kite Pharma, a Gilead Company, Los Angeles CA) and tisagenlecleucel (KYMRIAH; Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., Basel, Switzerland) are two CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell products currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration; the European Medicines Agency; Health Canada; Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (Japan); and Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia) for treatment of specific subtypes of relapsed/refractory aggressive B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Although this approval has been transformative in the use of cellular immunotherapy in lymphoma, there are concerns regarding appropriate use of this novel therapy and of short- and long-term toxicities. To address these issues, representatives of the American Society of Transplantation and Cellular Therapy convened to recognize and address key issues surrounding the clinical application of CD19 CAR T cell therapy in B cell lymphomas, in collaboration with worldwide experts. The aim of this article is to provide consensus opinion from experts in the fields of hematopoietic cell transplantation, cellular immunotherapy, and lymphoma regarding key clinical questions pertinent to the use of CD19 CAR T cell products for the treatment of NHL. As the clinical practice using CAR T cells grows worldwide, we anticipate that this guidance will be relevant for hematology/oncology physicians who care for patients with lymphomas.