Comparing Outcomes in AYA Vs Older Populations Receiving Liso-cel for LBCL

In a conversation with CancerNetwork®, Irtiza Sheikh, DO, an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics - Patient Care, Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Section of the Division of Pediatrics at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discussed the background behind a poster presentation he gave at the 2026 Tandem Meetings, which aimed to compare the efficacy of lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel; Breyanzi) between patients with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) younger than 50 and those 50 years and older in both the real-world and clinical trial settings.

Explaining that the initial goal of his team was to compare outcomes based on age, Sheikh suggested that an interest in adolescent and young adult (AYA) patient groups, and even those generally younger than geriatric age, served as inspiration. Moreover, he added that his team had a further interest in comparing outcomes in the real-world and clinical trials settings to identify discrepancies in care.

Transcript:

When we first started brainstorming this project, our initial goal was to compare the outcomes between patients who are younger and received liso-cel vs those who are over the age of 50 and received liso-cel. The idea came out of an interest in a niche of oncology and transplantation medicine of AYA [patients]. The reason is the AYA population—or even those who are a bit older but not truly a geriatric age—don’t fit neatly into a box, especially those who are between the ages of 18 and 25.

Should these patients be treated on a pediatric clinical trial or an adult clinical trial? Should they be in pediatric hospitals or adult hospitals? Do they respond differently to therapies, and do they experience AEs at different rates compared with older patients, not just within the general population, but in the real-world and the clinical trial settings? When you’re looking at these AYA patients, you can then expand these points to patients not only on the younger age of the spectrum, but also in those who are less than 50, and then compare that with older patients.

Keeping that in mind, we also wanted to know if there’s a discrepancy between patient characteristics for those who are enrolled in a clinical trial who received liso-cel vs those in the real-world setting. This was a good opportunity to see if there are age-related differences [and] trial-related differences vs those who may be receiving liso-cel as a standard-of-care [regimen] or as part of a clinical trial at respective institutions.

Reference

Sheikh IN, Patel K, Perales MA, et al. Clinical outcomes of lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel) in younger patients (Pts) with relapsed or refractory (R/R) large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL). Presented at: 2026 Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Meetings of ASTCT and CIBMTR; February 4-7, 2026; Salt Lake City, UT. Abstract 210.