Efficacy and side effects of tisagenlecleucel

Selevamine (Tisagenlecleucel) is indicated for patients 25 years of age and younger with refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) or a second or subsequent relapse. It is also indicated for the treatment of relapse after two or more systemic therapies. Adult patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) large B-cell lymphoma, including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (DLBCL), high-grade B-cell lymphoma, and DLBCL caused by follicular lymphoma. Selifermin is also indicated for adult patients with relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) after two or more systemic therapies.

Selivermin demonstrated efficacy in reinducing remission in patients with refractoryB-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The sole purpose of treatment is to specifically eliminate CD19-expressing malignant and normal cells and increase the chance of remission. Serifamine contains the patient's own T cells (a type of white blood cell) that have been genetically modified in the laboratory so that they produce a protein called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). Chimeric antigen receptors attach to another protein called CD19 on the surface of cancer cells. When patients take silevermin, the modified T cells attach to and kill cancer cells, helping to clear the body of cancer.

Most patients will experience serious side effects, the most common of which are cytokine release syndrome and a decrease in platelets (components that help blood clot), hemoglobin (the protein found in red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body), or white blood cells (including neutrophils and lymphocytes). In addition, serious infections are a very common side effect of treatment in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma.