Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies that target either CD19 or CD22 alone have potent antilymphoma effects. However, antigen escape-mediated relapse often occurs. CAR T cells targeting both CD19 and CD22 may overcome this limitation. In this study, we developed bispecific CAR T cells simultaneously recognizing CD19- and CD22-expressing targets and assessed their safety and efficacy profiles in patients with relapsed/refractory aggressive B-cell lymphoma. Twenty-four patients were screened, and 16 were found eligible for the study. CAR T-cell-associated toxicities were recorded. Responses, overall survival (OS), and progression-free survival (PFS) were assessed. Of the 16 eligible patients, 14 (87.5%) achieved objective response and 10 (62.5%) achieved complete response (CR). The 2-year OS and PFS rates were 77.3% and 40.2%, respectively. Achieving CR (P = 0.046) and the number of prior chemotherapy lines (n = 2; P = 0.047) were independent prognostic factors associated with favorable PFS. The 2-year OS and PFS among patients who achieved CR were higher than among those who did not (P = 0.015 and P < 0.001, respectively). The 2-year PFS among patients who received two prior lines of chemotherapy was higher than that among patients who received more than two lines of chemotherapy (P = 0.049); OS did not differ between the groups. Severe grade 4 cytokine-release syndrome (CRS) was observed in 1 patient; 4 and 11 patients had grades 1 and 2 CRS, respectively. No patients developed neurotoxicity. CD19/CD22 dual-targeted CAR T cells may be a safe, potent antilymphoma cell-based targeted immunotherapy.