Abstract LB346: Dynamic changes in the tumor microenvironment from initial diagnosis through sequential therapies in patients with large B cell lymphoma undergoing axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel) treatment
Randomized trial reveals tumor microenvironment shifts in large B cell lymphoma, indicating baseline M2 macrophages predict axicabtagene ciloleucel response.
Key Points
Protumor M2 macrophages increase across sequential therapies while cytotoxic lymphocytes decline, driving immunosuppression in the large B cell lymphoma tumor microenvironment.
Multiplex immunohistochemistry shows elevated M2 macrophages (p=4.5e-10) and reduced M1 proportions (p=5.8e-06) across therapy lines prior to axicabtagene ciloleucel infusion.
Elevated baseline M2 macrophages may predict disease relapse following CAR T-cell therapy, whereas lower proportions correlate with complete response in large B cell lymphoma.