5 Key Takeaways

• 1

  In 580 patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma treated with axi-cel, a higher proportion of CCR7- and CD45RA-positive naive-like T cells was associated with longer progression-free survival.

• 2

  Patients in the highest naive-like T-cell group had a 54% lower relative hazard of progression or death and a higher ongoing response rate than those in the lowest group (59.3% vs 29.2%).

• 3

  The association persisted after adjustment for prognostic factors and was validated in an independent cohort of 203 patients treated with axi-cel-based therapies or brexucabtagene autoleucel.

• 4

  More prior lines of therapy were associated with fewer naive-like T cells in both starting material and final CAR T-cell products, but final-product proportions were more strongly associated with outc

• 5

  The findings are associative, not causal, and may not generalize beyond the CD28-based CAR T products studied in patients with lymphoma.