Meta-analysis reports CAR T-cell outcomes in relapsed or refractory THRLBCL

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the European Journal of Haematology evaluated CAR T-cell therapy in relapsed or refractory T-cell/histiocyte-rich large B-cell lymphoma (THRLBCL), a rare, aggressive B-cell lymphoma subtype. The review identified seven studies including 157 patients, assessing response, survival and treatment-associated toxicity in a setting with limited retrospective evidence.

The pooled overall response rate was 48.3%, and the complete remission rate was 30.4%. Median progression-free survival was 3.4 months, with a 12-month progression-free survival rate of 29.1%. Median overall survival was 15.0 months, and 12-month overall survival was 57.4%.

Low- and high-grade cytokine release syndrome occurred in 68.3% and 4.5% of patients, respectively. Low- and high-grade immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome occurred in 23.1% and 12.9%. The authors identified no unexpected safety signals, but durable responses occurred only in a subset of patients. These findings provide subtype-specific estimates for clinical discussions, although the limited retrospective evidence warrants caution. The supplied abstract does not report confidence intervals, between-study heterogeneity or comparative outcomes.