CAR T-Cell Therapy Care Paths Differ in France Real-World Study

A new look at how patients in France receive CAR T-cell treatments reveals important differences between two major therapies. The study focused on people with relapsed or hard-to-treat large B-cell lymphoma who got either axi-cel or liso-cel after their first chemo failed.

Researchers pulled data from France's national hospital records. They studied 823 patients across 32 medical centers from 2022 to 2024. Most patients got axi-cel (about 77%), while the rest received liso-cel.

The time between diagnosis and treatment varied. Patients on liso-cel waited longer for their therapy (48.5 days) compared to those on axi-cel (38.1 days). But after treatment, liso-cel patients spent less time in early monitoring (10.9 days vs 16.1 days).

Hospital stays told an interesting story. Liso-cel patients needed intensive care less often (2.1% vs 14.1%). They also used fewer rescue drugs for side effects. Only 7.8% needed tocilizumab compared to 48.3% of axi-cel patients. This drug fights severe immune reactions.

Staying healthy after treatment mattered too. Three months later, liso-cel patients returned to the hospital less (54.4% vs 78.1%). The findings suggest liso-cel may ease the burden on hospitals when used as second-line treatment.

These real-world results add to what doctors know about these powerful therapies. More research could help predict which patients benefit most from each option.