Promising results after CAR T-cell therapy for leukemia and lymphoma

Swedish cancer patients treated with CAR T-cell therapy show better survival rates and fewer side effects than seen in previous studies. This is shown in a new compilation of Swedish treatment results conducted by researchers in the SWECARNET network.

CAR T-cell therapy is a tailored immunotherapy that has proven effective against certain blood and lymphatic cancers where there was previously no hope of a cure. Uppsala University Hospital was the first in Europe to initiate an academic CAR T study for patients with B-cell lymphoma. Five years later, in 2019, the first patient was treated within standard care at Karolinska University Hospital, and today there are several treatment centers in Sweden.

Better treatment effects and fewer side effects

For the first time, researchers have now compiled results for Swedish patients who received CAR T-cell therapy. The results have been published in the journal Leukemia.

The results show better treatment effects and fewer serious side effects compared to the very first clinical studies. The results apply to 93 adult patients with aggressive B-cell lymphoma (ABCL) treated between 2019 and 2024.

Of these, 66% achieved complete remission, meaning the cancer completely diminished, within 30 days after treatment. One year after treatment, 53% were without relapse. A particularly interesting finding was that older patients did not have worse outcomes than younger ones.

The successes are not only due to improved treatment but also to patient selection and increased knowledge of how to manage side effects. The study is an important step forward in understanding and further improving the treatment of blood cancer using CAR T-cells.