Baseline and early post-infusion biomarkers associated with optimal response to idecabtagene vicleucel (ide-cel) in the KarMMa-3 study of triple-class–exposed (TCE) relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM).
Authors: Piasecki Julia , Desai Keyur , Courtney Carolyn , Thompson Ethan , Pratt Jim , Raje Noopur S. , Patel Krina K. , Raab Marc S. , Cook Mark , Simonsen Katy L. , Popa McKiver Mihaela , Kaiser Shari , Martin Nathan 
Published: June 2023

8031 Background: Ide-cel, a B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy, significantly improved median progression-free survival (mPFS) and overall response rate (ORR) vs standard regimens (SRs) in patients (pts) with TCE RRMM in the KarMMa-3 study (NCT03651128; Rodríguez-Otero et al. NEJM 2023). Previous analyses in KarMMa (Munshi et al. NEJM 2021) of pts with later-line (4L+) TCE RRMM identified low baseline (BL) levels and complete clearance of soluble BCMA (sBCMA, a measure of tumor burden) and early minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity as correlates of durable response to ide-cel. The current analysis explored the association between biomarkers and efficacy or severity of inflammatory adverse events of ide-cel in KarMMa-3. Methods: sBCMA levels were measured in blood samples collected from pts in KarMMa-3 at BL and regular intervals from treatment (tx) initiation until confirmed progression. MRD status was assessed in bone marrow aspirate (clonoSeq; 10-5 sensitivity) at 6 and 12 mo post infusion and reported in all pts, regardless of response. Biomarker analyses were based on pts who received ide-cel or ≥1 dose of SR. Post hoc analyses assessed correlations between biomarkers and efficacy endpoints or cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and investigator-identified neurotoxicity (iiNT); associations of interest were identified using a ranked sum test and nominal P value < 0.05. Results: Lower BL sBCMA levels were associated with higher ORR ( < partial response [PR] vs ≥PR) in both tx arms (ide-cel, P= 0.0223; SR, P= 0.0395), indicating this may be agnostic of the BCMA-directed modality. Lower BL sBCMA was also associated with higher complete response (CR) rate ( < CR vs ≥CR) in the ide-cel arm ( P= 0.0038). Additionally, lower BL sBCMA levels in the ide-cel arm were associated with lower grade (gr) of CRS (gr 0–1 vs 2 vs ≥3; P= 0.0022) and iiNT (gr 0–1 vs ≥2; P= 0.0113); however, overlapping ranges may limit predictive utility. Further analyses will be presented. In the ide-cel arm, landmark mPFS was longer in pts with undetectable versus detectable sBCMA at 2 mo post infusion (16.3 vs 5.2 mo; HR, 0.26) or at 6 mo (16.8 vs 9.6 mo; HR, 0.62). Furthermore, landmark mPFS was also longer in pts with MRD negativity versus pts with positive/indeterminate MRD status at 6 mo (17.2 vs 5.8 mo; HR, 0.288) or at 12 mo (13.8 vs 4.6 mo; HR, 0.121). Conclusions: BL sBCMA levels correlated with response and CRS and iiNT grade in the ide-cel arm of KarMMa-3, potentially reinforcing the importance of management of BL tumor burden for optimal response to ide-cel. Early clearance of sBCMA at 2 mo, sustained clearance of sBCMA at 6 mo, and MRD negativity at 6 or 12 mo, regardless of clinical response, may be useful biomarkers for identifying pts likely to achieve a complete and durable response to ide-cel. Clinical trial information: NCT03651128 .