Research Appraisals
Evidence-based critical appraisals of the latest medical research, systematically evaluated using Oxford CEBM methodology.
Showing 3 appraisals
Lancet (London, England)
Addition of autologous stem-cell transplantation to an ibrutinib-containing first-line treatment in patients aged 18-65 years with mantle cell lymphoma (TRIANGLE): 4·5-year follow-up of a three-arm, randomised, open-label, phase 3 superiority trial of the European MCL Network
BACKGROUND: Adding ibrutinib to standard, first-line immunochemotherapy improves failure-free survival in adult patients aged 18-65 years with mantle cell lymphoma, according to the first results from the TRIANGLE trial. With prolonged follow-up, we investigated whether the addition of autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) to an ibrutinib-containing regimen improves failure-free survival, and evaluated effects on overall survival. METHODS: We conducted a three-arm, randomised, open-label, phase 3 superiority trial (TRIANGLE) in 165 secondary or tertiary clinical centres, with experience in mantle cell lymphoma treatment and the capability to perform ASCT or an association with such a centre, in 13 European countries and Israel. Patients aged 18-65 years with untreated, stage II-IV mantle cell lymphoma and suitable for ASCT were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to control group A or experimental groups A + I or I. Randomisation was done using computer-generated random numbers and stratified by study groups and Mantle Cell Lymphoma International Prognostic Index risk groups. Treatment in group A consisted of six alternating, 21-day cycles of R-CHOP (intravenous rituximab 375 mg/m2 on day 0 or 1, cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2 on day 1, doxorubicin 50 mg/m2 on day 1, vincristine 1·4 mg/m2 on day 1 [up to a maximum of 2 mg], and oral prednisone 100 mg on days 1-5) and R-DHAP or R-DHAOx (intravenous rituximab 375 mg/m2 on day 0 or 1, intravenous or oral dexamethasone 40 mg on days 1-4, high-dose intravenous cytarabine 2 × 2 g/m2 for 3 h every 12 h on day 2, plus either intravenous cisplatin 100 mg/m2 over 24 h on day 1 [R-DHAP] or intravenous oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2 on day 1 [R-DHAOx]), followed by ASCT. In group A + I, oral ibrutinib (560 mg daily) was added on days 1-19 of R-CHOP cycles and as 2-year maintenance after ASCT. In group I, ibrutinib was given the same way, but ASCT was omitted. Rituximab maintenance was allowed in all treatment groups according to national guidelines. Three pairwise, one-sided, log-rank tests for the primary outcome (failure-free survival) were statistically monitored. The primary analysis was by intention to treat and included all randomly assigned patients, ignoring protocol deviations. Safety was assessed in randomly assigned patients who started any trial treatment component of the respective treatment phase. The trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02858258) and is complete. FINDINGS: Between July 29, 2016, and Dec 28, 2020, 870 patients (662 [76%] were male, 208 [24%] were female) were randomly assigned to group A (n=288), group A + I (n=292), or group I (n=290). After median follow-up of 54·9 months (95% CI 54·4-56·0), group A + I did not show superiority over group I, with 4-year failure-free survival of 82% (95% CI 78-87) versus 81% (76-86; hazard ratio [HR] 0·86 [one-sided 98·33% CI 0·00-1·27]; one-sided p=0·21). Group A + I remained superior to group A (82% [78-87] vs 70% [65-76]; HR 0·63 [one-sided 98·33% CI 0·00-0·89]; one-sided p=0·0026) and, as before, group A did not show superiority over group I (70% [65-76] vs 81% [76-86]; HR 1·45 [one-sided 98·33% CI 0·00-2·02]; one-sided p=0·99). 4-year overall survival was 88% (95% CI 84-92) in group A + I versus 81% (76-85) in group A (HR 0·59 [95% CI 0·38-0·92], p=0·0036) and 90% (87-94) in group I versus 81% (76-85) in group A (0·57 [0·36-0·90], p=0·0019). During maintenance or follow-up, the most common grade 3-5 adverse events were haematological disorders, reported in 127 (54%) of 234 patients in group A + I versus 74 (28%) of 269 in group I and 56 (23%) of 240 patients in group A, and infections, reported in 80 (34%) of 234 patients in group A + I versus 71 (26%) of 269 in group I and 37 (15%) of 240 patients in group A. Infections and infestations were the most common fatal adverse events during maintenance or follow-up, occurring in four (2%) of 234 patients in group A + I and five (2%) of 269 patients in group I. INTERPRETATION: After a prolonged follow-up of 55 months, both ibrutinib-containing groups showed relevant improvements not only in failure-free survival-a modified form of progression-free survival-but also in overall survival. In contrast, the addition of ASCT to an ibrutinib-containing regimen had no supplementary benefit but increased toxicity. Induction treatment with ibrutinib and R-CHOP plus R-DHAP (or R-DHAOx), followed by 2 years of maintenance treatment with ibrutinib, should be considered as a new standard of care for younger patients with mantle cell lymphoma. FUNDING: Janssen.
18 May 2026
Read appraisal →The New England journal of medicine
Base Editing of HBG1 and HBG2 Promoters for Sickle Cell Disease
BACKGROUND: Sickle cell disease is characterized by chronic hemolytic anemia and recurrent severe vaso-occlusive crises. Ristoglogene autogetemcel (risto-cel) includes autologous CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells that have been base-edited to target the HBG1 and HBG2 promoters and inhibit BCL11A binding without altering BCL11A expression, yielding a switch in hemoglobin production from sickle hemoglobin (HbS) to antisickling fetal hemoglobin (HbF). METHODS: In this phase 1-2 study, we enrolled patients 12 to 35 years of age with sickle cell disease who had had at least four severe vaso-occlusive crises in the 2 years before enrollment. After myeloablative conditioning with pharmacokinetically guided administration of busulfan, patients received a single infusion of risto-cel (at a dose of ≥3.0×106 viable CD34+ cells per kilogram of body weight). The primary efficacy end point was freedom from severe vaso-occlusive crises for 12 consecutive months, starting later than 60 days after the last red-cell transfusion. This interim analysis was unplanned; here, we describe safety, editing, engraftment, and hemoglobin production and the number of severe vaso-occlusive crises starting later than 60 days after the last red-cell transfusion. RESULTS: A total of 31 patients received risto-cel and were followed for a mean of 6.6 months (range, 0.3 to 20.4). A median of one cycle (range, one to five) was required for stem-cell collection. Neutrophil engraftment occurred at a median of 17.5 days, and platelet engraftment at a median of 19 days. One patient died from idiopathic pneumonia syndrome. All 31 patients had at least one adverse event, 27 (87%) had an adverse event of grade 3 or higher, and 12 (39%) had a serious adverse event. At 6 months, the mean fraction of on-target edited alleles in peripheral blood was 67.4%, the mean HbF as a fraction of total hemoglobin was more than 60%, and the HbS as a fraction of total hemoglobin was less than 40% (among 13 patients); these levels were maintained throughout follow-up. No investigator-reported severe vaso-occlusive crises occurred later than 60 days after the last red-cell transfusion. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with risto-cel was followed by rapid engraftment and durable expression of HbF and reduction in HbS. These data support further investigation of risto-cel to treat sickle cell disease. (Funded by Beam Therapeutics; BEACON ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT05456880.).
12 May 2026
Read appraisal →Blood
Long-term efficacy and safety results of betibeglogene autotemcel gene therapy for transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia.
Betibeglogene autotemcel (beti-cel) gene therapy for transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (TDT) involves autologous transplantation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells transduced with a modified β-globin gene to produce functional adult hemoglobin (Hb) containing βA-T87Q-globin (HbAT87Q). Sixty-three participants with TDT (median age, 17 years [range, 4-35]) received beti-cel in phase 1/2 (n = 22) or phase 3 (n = 41) studies and enrolled in the long-term follow-up LTF-303 study (median follow-up, 5.9 years [range, 2.9-10.1]). Manufacturing refinements in phase 3 increased transduction efficiency, resulting in higher drug product vector copy number and HbAT87Q levels, which translated into higher Hb and transfusion independence (TI) rates than in phase 1/2. TI was achieved by 15 of 22 (68.2%) phase 1/2 participants (median weighted average Hb during TI, 10.2 g/dL) and 37 of 41 (90.2%) of phase 3 participants (median, 11.2 g/dL), and was sustained through last follow-up. Treatment efficacy was similar across ages and TDT genotypes. Among participants achieving TI, 38 of 52 (73%) had discontinued iron chelation at last follow-up, with no increase in liver iron concentration. Markers of ineffective erythropoiesis, including serum transferrin receptor and erythropoietin, improved with restoration of iron homeostasis. Health-related quality-of-life assessment scores showed durable improvements. No malignancies, insertional oncogenesis, or vector-derived replication-competent lentivirus were reported. These findings establish beti-cel as a durable, 1-time therapy that achieves TI, restores iron balance, and improves quality of life, offering a potentially curative treatment option for people with TDT. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02633943.
11 May 2026
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