Trending News Today: Second-Generation CAR T-Call Therapy Effective in Early Trial

A second-generation chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy prevented relapse of lymphoma and leukemia and led to 100% long-term survival in early laboratory studies, according The American Journal of Managed Care. This second-generation CAR T-cell treatment targets an alternative surface marker called B cell activating factor receptor (BAFF-R). Scientists engineered CAR T-cells to go after human lymphoma and acute lymphocytic leukemia cells expressing BAFF-R in vitro and in mouse models in comparison with CD19-directed CAR T-cells.

Approximately 805 people in 46 states and the US Virgin Islands have fallen sick with mysterious vaping-related lung injuries as the growing outbreak stretches to include virtually all of the United States, according to The Washington Post. Twelve deaths have been confirmed in 10 states: California (2), Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas (2), Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri and Oregon. No single e-cigarette or vaping product, brand, or specific substance has been definitively linked to the outbreak, according to the article.

Results from the phase 3 ECHELON-2 trial set a precedent for targeted therapy in T-cell lymphoma by showing the benefit of adding brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) to standard chemotherapy in patients with advanced CD30-expressing peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), reported OncLive. In the trial, 452 patients with newly diagnosed CD30-positive PTCL were randomized to receive brentuximab vedotin plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone (CHP; A+CHP) or cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP). Results showed that A+CHP reduced the risk of death by 34% and the risk of disease progression or death by 29% compared with CHOP.