Communication and Education Are Key for CAR T-Cell Therapy in LBCL

It is important that treating physicians and community oncologists remain in communication to optimally treat patients with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) using CAR T-cell therapy, according to David L. Porter, MD.

In a conversation with CancerNetwork^® during the 2024 Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Meetings, Porter, the director of Cell Therapy and Transplant at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, discussed addressing various challenges associated with administering CAR T-cell therapy to patients with LBCL.

In a community oncologist roundtable that aimed to form appropriate CAR T-cell therapy consultation strategies for the aforementioned population, Porter and his colleagues captured the essence of their initiative with the slogan “If they RECUR, you should refer”, with the second “R” of RECUR meaning “receive patients returning post–CAR T-cell therapy”.

This portion of the slogan, Porter said, emphasized the necessity of treating physicians and community oncologists being prepared to treat and monitor patients following CAR T-cell therapy. He described how an educational suite at his institution may help oncologists properly manage toxicities during CAR T-cell therapy.

Transcript:

[CAR T-cell therapy] is a very new, highly specialized therapy, and it is important that [patients’] primary caregiver—their primary oncologist, for instance—is familiar with the therapy. They need to be familiar with the therapy that the patient received, the potential toxicities, and how to manage them moving forward after the initial treatment. That requires the treatment center that has the expertise to remain in communication with a patient's primary oncologist.

We think that's going to require a great deal of education and communication that may be different. For different centers, there may be different methods of communication and interaction, but it's critical. The last "R" in our acronym, RECUR, stood for "receive patients returning post–CAR T-cell therapy," highlighting the importance of that treating physician and community oncologists being ready to get the patient back into their practice. But [it's] also [a matter of] acknowledging that the care center has to be in communication with those physicians to help provide education. That can take many forms.

At my center at the University of Pennsylvania, we are developing an educational suite that we hope referring oncologists may take advantage of to learn about the toxicities, both acute and long-term, and how to manage these patients going forward after their treatment. It may be written material, peer-to-peer conversations, or educational meeting opportunities, and this will take many forms. It will be different for different physicians or care practices. We need to not just count on one method but take advantage of all the different methods at our disposal.

Reference

Riedell PA, Downs C, Boehmer L, Ebmeier J, Porter D, Williams A. If They RECUR, you should refer: a community oncologist patient ID roundtable summary. Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. 2024;30(1):14-16. doi:10.1016/j.jtct.2023.10.019