EHA 2019 | Managing CAR-T QoL
Brian Koffman, MDCM, DCFP, DABFM, MS Ed, Saint Jude Medical Center, Fullerton, CA, discusses how CAR T-cell therapy impacts the quality of life of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. Dr Koffman goes on to explain how many of the issues that arise with CAR T-cell therapy appear to be temporary. This interview took place at the 24th Congress of the European Hematology Association (EHA) 2019, held in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Transcript (edited for clarity)
CAR-T therapy is interesting, in that it kind of front loads a lot of toxicity, so patients’ quality of life when they’re going through cytokine release syndrome or they’re neurotoxic couldn’t be much worse. I mean, patients can end up in the intensive care unit. They can be in comas. They can have seizures...
CAR-T therapy is interesting, in that it kind of front loads a lot of toxicity, so patients’ quality of life when they’re going through cytokine release syndrome or they’re neurotoxic couldn’t be much worse. I mean, patients can end up in the intensive care unit. They can be in comas. They can have seizures. They can be on drugs to raise their blood pressures. It can be an extraordinarily difficult time for them. But generally almost all patients get through that, and it’s kind of one and done. Once it’s over, it’s over. So unlike a bone marrow transplant where there’s graft versus host issues and other things that patients have to deal with long-term, CAR-T usually completely resolves with no residual problems and patients can get back to a normal lifestyle. That was certainly my experience.
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