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2081 Pre-CAR-T GTE Scoring of Electroencephalogram Abnormalities As Predictive Biomarkers for Icans

Program: Oral and Poster Abstracts
Session: 704. Cellular Immunotherapies: Early Phase Clinical Trials and Toxicities: Poster I
Hematology Disease Topics & Pathways:
Research, Clinical Research, Real-world evidence, Adverse Events
Saturday, December 7, 2024, 5:30 PM-7:30 PM

Hidetaka Nakagaki, MD1*, Takuji Yamauchi, MD, PhD2*, Takahiko Mukaino3*, Ayumi Sakata4*, Eriko Watanabe5*, Mitsuru Watanabe3*, Daisuke Ishihara6*, Hiroshi Imanaga, MD7*, Kensuke Sasaki, MD, PhD7*, Teppei Sakoda6*, Fumiaki Jinnouchi8*, Kohta Miyawaki8*, Takahiro Shima, MD, PhD9, Yoshikane Kikushige10*, Yasuo Mori, M.D., Ph.D.11*, Yuya Kunisaki6*, Taeko Hotta12*, Hiroshi Shigeto13*, Noriko Isobe3*, Koichi Akashi, MD, PhD2* and Koji Kato, MD, PhD7

1Department of Hematology, Oncology & Cardiovascular Medicine, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, Japan
2Department of Medicine and Biosystemic Science, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan
3Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, JPN
4Department of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Kyushu University Hosp, Fukuoka, JPN
5Department of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine, Kyushu University Hosp, Fukuoka, Japan
6Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, JPN
7Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan
8Kyushu University, Fukuoka, JPN
9Department of Medicine and Biosystemic Science, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan
10Center for Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Fukuoka, JPN
11Hematology, Oncology & Cardiovascular medicine, Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, JPN
12Kyushu University Hospital, Fukuoka, JPN
13Division of Medical Technology, Department of Health Sciences, Graduate School O, Fukuoka, JPN

Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy targeting CD19 has emerged as a promising treatment for refractory and relapsed B-cell lymphomas. However, this therapy is associated with significant adverse events such as Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) and Immune Effector Cell-Associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome (ICANS). While CRS is well-understood and attributed to cytokine release, the pathogenesis of ICANS remains unclear, necessitating the identification of reliable predictive biomarkers to improve patient outcomes. This study explores the novel use of pre-treatment electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormalities, quantified using the Grand Total EEG (GTE) scoring system, as predictive biomarkers for ICANS in patients undergoing CAR-T cell therapy.

We retrospectively analyzed 55 patients who underwent CAR-T cell therapy at Kyushu University Hospital between November 2022 and December 2023. The evaluations of CRS and ICANS were conducted following the ASTCT consensus guidelines. The GTE score, developed for neurodegenerative disease assessment, was adapted to evaluate pre-treatment EEGs in this novel context. It scores six items (rhythmic background activity, diffuse slow-wave activity, reactivity, paroxysmal activity, focal abnormalities, and sharp-wave activity) on a six-point scale, providing a comprehensive measure of EEG abnormalities.

The median age of the patients was 63 years (range 18-77), with 22 female patients. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was the most common primary disease, affecting 67% of patients. CAR-T cell products administered included axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel), tisagenlecleucel (tisa-cel), and lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel). Pre-treatment complete remission (CR) was achieved in 21 patients, and 28 patients had a history of central nervous system (CNS) involvement treatment.

In this study, 95% of patients developed CRS, and 29% developed ICANS. The incidence of severe cases (grade 3 or higher) was less than 10%. We investigated the risk factors for developing ICANS, including CRS presence, disease status, CNS-targeted treatment history, and CAR-T cell product type. ICANS incidence was higher in patients with CRS (30.8%) compared to those without CRS (0%). The incidence of ICANS was not significantly different between patients with and without CNS-targeted treatment history or between those who achieved CR and those who did not. Among the CAR-T cell products, axi-cel was associated with the highest ICANS incidence (50%).

Furthermore, we found that pre-treatment GTE scores were significantly higher in patients who developed ICANS compared to those who did not. The mean GTE score for the ICANS group was 4.94, significantly higher than the non-ICANS group (2.44). This significant difference underscores the utility of the GTE score as a novel and objective tool for identifying patients at high risk for ICANS. Multivariate analysis identified high GTE scores, the use of axi-cel, and higher CRS grades as significant risk factors for ICANS, with odds ratios of 1.79, 8.06, and 4.42, respectively. Other factors such as age and EASIX score did not show significant differences.

Our findings suggest that the GTE scoring system can objectively identify patients at high risk for ICANS prior to CAR-T cell therapy by evaluating EEG abnormalities. This study marks the first significant application of the GTE scoring system in the context of CAR-T therapy, demonstrating its potential as a valuable predictive tool for ICANS. The ability to identify high-risk patients using pre-treatment EEGs could lead to early detection and targeted intervention strategies, ultimately improving patient management and outcomes.

In conclusion, our study demonstrates that higher pre-treatment GTE scores are significantly associated with the development of ICANS in CAR-T cell therapy patients. The novel application of the GTE scoring system provides a new avenue for risk stratification and highlights the importance of EEG abnormalities as predictive biomarkers for ICANS. This knowledge can help identify high-risk patients and improve management strategies, ultimately enhancing patient outcomes in CAR-T cell therapy.

Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

*signifies non-member of ASH