Measuring the lymphocytes — white blood cells that fight infection — in a patient's blood can be used to predict outcomes in non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients who receive CAR T-cell therapy, according to research from physicians at Fox Chase Cancer Center and Temple Health.
The study, which was presented today at the 67th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, found that a higher absolute lymphocyte count, or ALC, and a faster rate of ALC increase after therapy, were linked with better outcomes, including progression-free survival, overall survival, and complete response. A high concentration of lymphocytes in the blood indicates a strong immune response.
It's an important finding, because it could help providers quickly assess how patients are responding to therapy and guide treatment decisions.
"If we see that a patient has low ALC and might relapse, we can try another strategy. Finding a kinetic marker that doesn't take a lot of resources to check but could still make a real difference in a patient's course of treatment is exciting," said first author Helen Gandler, MD, a third-year resident in internal medicine at Temple Hospital.
Gandler was mentored in her research by Anthony Stack, DO , an Assistant Professor in the Blood Cancer and Cellular Therapy Institute at Fox Chase and senior author on the study.
Why Better Markers Matter
