Idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) has shown impressive efficacy in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM).
This study aimed to investigate the impact of absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) on the survival outcomes of RRMM patients treated with standard of care (SOC) ide-cel. Data were collected retrospectively from 11 institutions in the U. S. Impact of ALC parameters including pre-apheresis (pre-A), pre-lymphodepletion (pre-LD), absolute and percent difference from pre-A to pre-LD on clinical outcomes after ide-cel were examined using survival analysis. A new ALC profile was created based on univariate analysis that comprises 3 groups: normal (≥1 × 10 9 /L) pre-LD ALC (LD N ), low (<1 × 10 9 /L) pre-LD ALC (LD L ) + percent reduction <37. 5 (%R L ), and LD L ALC + percent reduction ≥37. 5 (%R H ). A total of 214 SOC ide-cel recipients were included in this analysis. The median patient age was 64 years (interquartile range [IQR], 57 to 69 years), median number of prior therapies was 6 (IQR, 5 to 9), and median duration of follow-up was 5. 4 months (IQR, 2.
1 to 8. 3 months). Most patients had both low pre-A ALC (75. 3%) and pre-LD ALC (77. 2%), and the reduction from pre-A to pre-LD (median, . 65 to . 55 × 10 9 /L) was statistically significant. Univariate analysis showed that the LD L + %R H group had significantly worse progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared to the LD L + %R L and LD N ALC groups (6-month PFS: 40% versus 67. 6% and 60. 9%; 6-month OS: 69. 5% versus 87% and 94. 3%).
In multivariable analysis, after adjusting for age, performance status, cytogenetic risk, use of bridging therapy, and extramedullary disease, PFS did not maintain its statistical significance; however, OS remained significantly worse for LD L + %R H group compared to the LD N ALC group (hazard ratio [HR], 4. 3; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1. 1 to 17), but the difference between the LD L + %R H versus %R L groups was not statistically significant (HR, 1. 7; 95% CI, . 8 to 4. 0).
Our findings indicate that low pre-LD ALC with high %R from pre-A to pre-LD was associated with inferior survival outcomes, particularly OS, in patients who received SOC ide-cel.