OBJECTIVE:The CARTITUDE-1 Trial (C-1) led to the approval of ciltacabtagene autoleucel (cilta-cel), a BCMA-directed CAR-T cell therapy, for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) after ≥ 3 lines of therapy. However, the inclusion criteria may not fully represent patients in the real-world (RW).
METHODS:Leveraging a national multicenter cohort of patients with RRMM, we conducted a retrospective analysis comparing 73 patients who received cilta-cel in the RW to 97 patients treated in C-1 by evaluating clinical characteristics, depth of response, survival outcomes, and toxicity.
RESULTS:Results showed that the RW baseline demographics such as age, proportion of racial minorities, gender, prior therapies, and disease characteristics, including high-risk cytogenetics, were broadly similar to the C-1 population. In the RW group, fewer patients had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group 0 (16% vs. 40%, P < .001), more patients had extramedullary disease (29% vs. 13%, P = .02), and fewer were refractory to bortezomib (47% vs. 68%, P = .007) and anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody (88% vs. 97%, P = .03). Forty-five percent of RW patients did not meet the inclusion criteria for C-1. The overall response rate was lower in the RW group (88% vs. 97%, P = .015). The survival outcomes at 24-months including the progression-free survival (58% in RW vs. 62% in C1, P = .98) and overall survival (72% vs. 74%, P = .9) were similar. The safety profile of RW patients was better with fewer treatment-related adverse events.
CONCLUSION:Our study demonstrates the comparable efficacy of cilta-cel in patients with RRMM treated in a RW setting.