Value of Reducing Wait Times for Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Treatment: Evidence From Randomized Controlled Trial Data on Tisagenlecleucel for Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

•Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies offer significant survival gains to patients with refractory or relapsed blood cancers.•Delays in CAR-T delivery result in excess mortality because some patients die before getting treated and because the remaining patients get treated later in their disease course, reducing CAR-T effectiveness. We quantify both effects using data from a randomized control trial of tisagenlecleucel for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.•Delays in access caused by policy makers, insurers, providers, and manufacturers impose mortality burdens on patients eligible for CAR-T treatment.