Hematology · 4 h ago
US claims study identifies gaps in CAR T access for relapsed LBCL
A retrospective analysis of US claims data included 8,959 adults with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) after at least two prior treatment lines. Only 15% received CAR T-cell therapy; among a second-line closed-claims cohort, recipients had longer time to next treatment or death than nonrecipients.
- 15% of 8,959 eligible patients received CAR T-cell therapy.
- 20% were referred to an authorized treatment center.
- Second-line recipients had longer median TTNT-D: 28 vs 12 months.
- Inpatient utilization peaked one month after infusion.
Researchers retrospectively analyzed Komodo Health US claims from October 2016 to May 2025 for adults with relapsed or refractory (R/R) large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) after at least two prior lines of therapy. The 8,959 patients were assessed for referral to an authorized treatment center (ATC), CAR T-cell therapy use, subsequent treatment, time to next treatment or death (TTNT-D), and health care resource utilization.
Overall, 20% were referred to an ATC and 15% received CAR T-cell therapy: 7% began care at an ATC and 8% were referred. Referred patients were younger than those not referred (median age, 61.5 vs 67.3 years) and lived closer to an ATC (median distance, 17 vs 24 miles). In the second-line closed-claims cohort, median TTNT-D was 28 months among CAR T recipients and 12 months among nonrecipients. Inpatient utilization peaked one month after infusion and subsequently declined to similar rates between groups.
The claims-based findings indicate that referral and treatment-selection patterns may limit access. The reported TTNT-D comparison is observational and may be affected by differences between treated and untreated patients; the abstract does not provide further details on adjustment or subgroup methods.
In practice
For adults with relapsed or refractory LBCL after at least two prior treatment lines, this US claims analysis found that only 15% received CAR T-cell therapy, while 20% were referred to an authorized treatment center. In a second-line closed-claims cohort, recipients had longer median time to next treatment or death than nonrecipients (28 vs 12 months). These observational data do not establish that CAR T caused the difference, and the abstract does not describe adjustment for confounding; they do not by themselves support changing treatment decisions.
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Blood Advances: CAR T-cell therapy referral patterns and utilization for relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma in the United States ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.