Study shows long-term safety of genetically modified immune effector cells

A new study by researchers at the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine shows that patients receiving genetically modified immune cells ( IECs)-treated cancer patients did not have an increased risk of subsequent malignancies

The researchers analyzed data from 340 patients with hematological malignancies and solid tumors treated with genetically modified IECs who relapsed or did not respond to treatment

"While short-term complications of iEC are well described, no large-scale studies have summarized long-term follow-up, including subsequent malignancy," said Dr.

Thirteen patients in the cohort developed 16 secondary cancers in the months or years after treatment, a rate comparable to patients receiving standard treatments, including chemotherapy and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

"With the increased use of cell and gene therapy, some literature discusses the potential risk of integrating the transgenic component of the cell into the patient's genetic material, leading to future risk of genetic mutations that may increase the risk of secondary malignancies

The authors emphasize that patients treated with genetically modified IECs should still be considered a high-risk group and should be closely monitored through routine cancer screening

"This study shows the importance of long-term follow-up, and we thank all patients who agreed to long-term follow-up, as well as all clinical investigators who ensured that we had comprehensive follow-up