The CAR-Hematotox Identifies Patients at High Risk for Prolonged Neutropenia, Infectious Complications and Prolonged Hospitalization Following CD19-CART in R/R LBCL

Introduction: Prolonged cytopenias and infectious complications substantially contribute to the toxicity burden of CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy (CAR-T). The latter represent the most common cause of non-relapse mortality after CAR-T. We have recently described the CAR-HEMATOTOX (HT) score, which integrates parameters associated with pre-CAR-T hematopoietic reserve (e.g. ANC, hemoglobin, platelet count) and inflammation (e.g. CRP, ferritin) to predict CAR-T-related hematotoxicity (Rejeski et al, Blood 2021). Here, we describe the utility of the HT score for identifying patients at risk for post-CAR-T infectious complications.