Fatal late-onset CAR T-cell-mediated encephalitis after axicabtagene-ciloleucel in a patient with large B-cell lymphoma
Treatment with CD19-directed (CAR) T cells has evolved as a standard of care for multiply relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (r/r LBCL). A common side effect of this treatment is the immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). Severe ICANS can occur in up to 30% to 40%...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
October 4, 2021
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| In: |
Blood advances
Year: 2021, Volume: 5, Issue: 19, Pages: 3789-3793 |
| ISSN: | 2473-9537 |
| DOI: | 10.1182/bloodadvances.2021004889 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, lizenzpflichtig, Volltext: https://doi.org/10.1182/bloodadvances.2021004889
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| Author Notes: | Susanne Jung, Jochen Greiner, Stephanie von Harsdorf, Pavle Popovic, Roland Moll, Jens Schittenhelm, Kosmas Kandilaris, Volker Daniel, Alexander Kunz, Michael Schmitt, and Peter Dreger |
| Summary: | Treatment with CD19-directed (CAR) T cells has evolved as a standard of care for multiply relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (r/r LBCL). A common side effect of this treatment is the immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). Severe ICANS can occur in up to 30% to 40% of patients treated with axicabtagene-ciloleucel (axi-cel), usually within the first 4 weeks after administration of the dose and usually responding well to steroids. We describe a case of progressive central neurotoxicity occurring 9 months after axi-cel infusion in a patient with r/r LBCL who had undergone a prior allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant. Despite extensive systemic and intrathecal immunosuppression, neurological deterioration was inexorable and eventually fatal within 5 months. High CAR T-cell DNA copy numbers and elevated levels of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-6 were found in the cerebral spinal fluid as clinical symptoms emerged, and CAR T-cell brain infiltration was observed on autopsy, suggesting that CAR T cells played a major pathogenetic role. This case of unexpected, devastating, late neurotoxicity warrants intensified investigation of neurological off-target effects of CD19-directed CAR T cells and highlights the need for continuous monitoring for late toxicities in this vulnerable patient population. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 15.12.2021 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 2473-9537 |
| DOI: | 10.1182/bloodadvances.2021004889 |