Promising Results for CD7 CAR-T Therapy in Treating Relapsed/Refractory Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma at ASH 2024
At the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) 2024, held from December 7 to 10 in San Diego, Prof. Lu Peihua of Lu Daopei Hospital presented a Phase I clinical trial of CD7-targeted Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy for the treatment of relapsed/refractory peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma (R/R PTCL). This is a significant breakthrough in the treatment of T-cell malignancies, where available therapeutic options have been limited and generally less effective.
R/R PTCL is known for its poor prognosis, especially in patients who have undergone multiple lines of treatment, including allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Despite this, CD7 CAR-T therapy, specifically the NS7CAR-T cell therapy developed by Prof. Lu’s team, has shown encouraging outcomes in treating patients with CD7-positive R/R PTCL. In this trial, a total of five patients, aged 39 to 60, with advanced stages of R/R PTCL were enrolled between April 2021 and November 2023. These patients had undergone an average of six prior lines of treatment, including one case with a history of autologous stem cell transplantation.
The results were promising: within a median follow-up time of 234 days, 60% of patients achieved complete remission (CR), and one patient achieved partial remission (PR). Importantly, the therapy demonstrated a high degree of CAR-T cell proliferation and persistence in patients, with the median peak level of CAR-T cells reaching 93.5% efficiency. Notably, there were no significant adverse effects such as neurotoxicity, and cytokine release syndrome (CRS) was mild, with only one patient experiencing grade II CRS. The safety profile was manageable, with no severe toxicities observed.
Prof. Lu’s research highlights the potential of CD7 CAR-T therapy as a game-changer in treating T-cell malignancies, particularly in patients who have few or no remaining treatment options. In addition to the positive results in PTCL, Prof. Lu’s team has previously achieved outstanding efficacy in treating T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL), with a nearly 95% complete remission rate in a cohort of 60 patients. Given these results, the team is now extending their research into other hematological malignancies such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML), with early data showing a promising 70% complete remission rate in CD7-positive AML patients.
Despite these positive results, Prof. Lu emphasizes the importance of combining CD7 CAR-T therapy with allo-HSCT to improve long-term outcomes. The heterogeneity of T-cell malignancies requires a comprehensive treatment strategy to increase the chances of durable remission and potential cure. The team continues to refine their approach and expand the therapeutic indications for CD7 CAR-T therapy.
Prof. Lu’s pioneering work, which has already treated over 300 patients with CD7 CAR-T therapy, represents a major step forward in T-cell malignancy treatment. Moving forward, the team is committed to further clinical trials and refining CAR-T cell therapy techniques, ensuring that more patients will benefit from this groundbreaking approach.
This promising Phase I trial at ASH 2024 underscores the potential of CD7 CAR-T therapy as a new frontier in hematological oncology, offering hope for patients with previously untreatable conditions.