A small, retrospective study suggests that radiation therapy may be administered prior to personalized T-cell therapy in patients with multiple myeloma without causing complications. Results were presented October 27 at the American Society for Radiation Therapy (ASTRO) annual meeting.
The study evaluated the safety of radiation therapy in 25 patients who had undergone chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy aimed at the B-cell maturation antigen target, including four who got radiation after their cells were collected but prior to CAR-T infusions. It was conducted by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, a pioneer in CAR-T techniques, with pharma partner Novartis.
The analysis did not raise red flags about a greater risk for severe adverse events, and radiation status prior to treatment was not associated with a decrease in overall survival or progression-free survival. Cytokine release syndrome is a feared and potentially lethal adverse event associated with CAR-T therapy.
The results provide some reassurance that it's safe to give radiation therapy for bone pain prior to CAR-T treatment without raising the risk for cytokine release and other severe adverse events, according to researchers.
