CAR T-cell therapy advances and bispecific antibody debate in lymphoma care

Scientists have identified three genetic variants that affect the efficacy and safety of CAR T‑cell therapy. In a study of 236 patients with aggressive lymphoma treated with axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta), variants in STXBP2 were linked to severe inflammatory toxicity, while variants in ADMT​SL3 appeared protective and PTPN22 variants correlated with stronger CAR T‑cell expansion.

At the National Immune Cell Effector Therapy (ICE‑T) conference in Orlando, Florida, hematologists debated the use of bispecific antibodies versus CAR T‑cell therapy for relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma. One expert argued that bispecific antibodies offer a lower‑toxicity, ongoing treatment option compared with the single, intensive CAR T infusion, emphasizing patient‑specific factors in therapy selection.