Afamitresgene autoleucel: The First T-Cell Receptor Therapy on the Market

Author(s)C. Brooke Adams, PharmD, BCOP , Lauren Bivacca, PharmD, MBA, Rachel Hatton, PharmD, BCOP

Second-line and later treatment options for synovial sarcoma are limited. Afamitresgene autoleucel is the first FDA-approved T-cell receptor therapy, demonstrating long-lasting responses and tolerable adverse effects in pretreated patients.

Synovial sarcoma (SS) is a rare and aggressive disease that accounts for 5% to 10% of all soft tissue sarcomas. SS is diagnosed in fewer than 1000 people in the United States every year and most often occurs in young adults. SS can develop in the extremities or in the soft tissue of the abdomen or lung, and it is slightly more common in men than in women. Although SS is initially sensitive to chemotherapy, patients tend to have very poor outcomes once metastasis happens, with 5-year survival rates being approximately 10% and median overall survival (OS) being approximately 16.2 months.^1,2 Second-line regimens are not standard, but options include pazopanib (Votrient; Novartis Pharmaceuticals), eribulin, dacarbazine, vinorelbine, and gemcitabine. However, response rates with these agents are very poor, with none exceeding 10%.