A patient's experience with follicular lymphoma from diagnosis to cure: the life-changing impact of CAR T-cell therapy.

Abstract

In this patient perspective, Laurie Adami describes her experience with follicular lymphoma (FL), from diagnosis to cure. After diagnosis in 2006, Laurie underwent continuous treatments with 6 therapies over 12 years, all resulting in disease relapse and progression. Some treatments left her with lifelong side effects. In 2018, with extensive tumor burden and nearing kidney failure, Laurie enrolled in the ZUMA-5 clinical trial (NCT03105336) and received her seventh and final treatment, a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy called axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel). Just 30 days after her axi-cel infusion, imaging revealed her cancer had vanished, and she remains cancer-free to this day, about 8 years later. Laurie did experience severe side effects to treatment. This is attributable, in part, because she received CAR T-cell therapy in its earlier days before protocols were developed to treat and also mitigate common side effects. However, all her side effects from CAR T-cell therapy resolved, and her quality of life returned to her pre-infusion state within 3-4 months. By sharing her experience, Laurie aims to raise awareness for this life-saving and likely curative treatment across multiple audiences that may be impacted by FL, including patients, clinicians, families/caregivers, and advocates.