Characterizing Infections After Ide-Cel Therapy in Multiple Myeloma
Wudhikarn K, Gowda L, Ye Q, et al. Infections Within 100 Days of Idecabtagene Vicleucel and Impact on Survival for Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma: A CIBMTR Analysis. Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. 2026; (doi: 10.1016/j.jtct.2026.06.029).
A real-world analysis of patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma illustrates how infections contribute to inferior outcomes after treatment with idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel), a type of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy targeting B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA). The sample population, taken from the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Registry database, included 807 individuals who underwent treatment between March 2021 and December 2023. Researchers determined that bacterial infections were most common in the first 30 days post-infusion, while viral infections presented more frequently between days 30 and 100. At a median follow-up of 11.6 months, 364 patients relapsed and 222 patients died, with disease progression and infection identified as the most common causes. Infection was more prevalent in ide-cel recipients with a history of infection at baseline, with poor performance status, or who developed cytokine release syndrome or neurotoxicity. Patients with recurrent infections or relapse within 100 days of treatment were more likely to experience inferior overall survival.