Sarcopenia and Skeletal Muscle Loss after CAR-T Cell Therapy in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Strategic Insights -

A new study has shed light on the association between chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy and sarcopenia, a hallmark of cancer cachexia. Researchers at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute discovered that patients with baseline sarcopenia had poorer tolerance and reduced survival after CAR-T cell therapy. The study's findings emphasize the need for future research on dietary and exercise interventions to improve CAR-T cell therapy outcomes.

Key Takeaways:

  • Baseline sarcopenia was present in more than half of patients and associated with shorter median overall survival (10.5 vs. 34.3 months; P = 0.006) compared to non-sarcopenic patients.
  • Muscle loss was common after CAR-T cell therapy, occurring in one of three patients within the first 30 days, with higher tumor burden and neurotoxicity as associated factors.
  • Serum metabolomics revealed an early increase in purine metabolites, followed by a later increase in triglyceride levels, with adipic acid showing the highest fold-increase from baseline.
  • Skeletal muscle loss after CAR-T cell therapy is associated with fatty acid catabolism, highlighting the need for further investigation into the relationship between CAR-T cell therapy, sarcopenia, and metabolism.

Statistics:

  • 83 patients with large B-cell lymphoma were enrolled in the study.
  • 57 patients underwent serum metabolomics analysis.
  • One of three patients experienced skeletal muscle loss greater than 10% within the first 30 days after CAR-T cell therapy.
  • Patients with baseline sarcopenia had a median overall survival of 10.5 months, compared to 34.3 months for non-sarcopenic patients.

Sources:

  • Sarcopenia and Skeletal Muscle Loss After Car T-cell Therapy In Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma. Clinical Cancer Research, 2025;31(13):2756-2766.
  • NewsRx. Studies from H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute Have Provided New Information about Muscular Atrophy (Sarcopenia and Skeletal Muscle Loss After Car T-cell Therapy In Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma). Hematology Week. July 28, 2025; p 402.