Immunoglobulin Replacement Therapy (IgRT) Versus Antibiotic Prophylaxis (PA) in Patients Treated by CD19-targeted Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR)T Cells for a B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or a B Cell Lymphoma

B cell (CD19) targeted chimeric antigen receptor modified T Cells (CAR-T) has transformed treatment of relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) or B-cell lymphoma (BCL).

Because patients receiving CAR-T often present uncontrolled disease and have undergone several lines of treatment, they may be deeply immuno-depressed and prone to infections. Hypogammaglobulinemia were reported in 74% of patients preCAR-T cells infusion (Hill JA, et al. Blood Rev. 2019 Nov). CART cells also results in depletion of normal CD19+ B cells and hypogammaglobulinemia as an on-target, off tumor toxicity.

Because CAR-T cells can persist for years, patients are exposed to infectious complications secondary to long-term Bcell aplasia and severe hypogammaglobulinemia (<4g/l). Data from patients who received rituximab (CD20-specific monoclonal antibody) show that patients with severe hypogammaglobulinemia experienced recurrent bronchitis, sinusitis, pneumonia, and rarely, enteroviral meningoencephalitis. In patients receiving CAR T-cells, infection density is 0.55-0.67 infections/100 days3,5 at risk after the first month with a majority of respiratory and ENT (earsnose-throat) infections. To prevent infections, anti-bacterial prophylaxis (AP) based on local guidelines is often used in patients treated by CAR-T cells, with the risk of subsequent resistance. Otherwise, intravenous immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IgRT) is authorized by the French authorities for patients with secondary antibody deficiencies who developed severe or recurrent infections after appropriate antimicrobial therapy, if IgG levels <4g/l. However, although IgRT as primary prophylaxis (PP) have no approval, they are used as PP after CAR T-cells by many centers, with no data supporting such a strategy. The benefit of IgRT over AP as a primary prophylaxis in the setting of CD19 CAR-T cells therapy should be demonstrated given its burden for patients and care, as well as its cost and the risk of Ig shortage. Therefore, this multi-centric prospective randomized openlabel study aims to assess the benefits of IgRT versus AP as PP in patients with secondary antibody deficiencies.