Immunotherapy using T cells genetically engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) is rapidly emerging as a promising new treatment for haematological and non-haematological malignancies. CAR-T-cell therapy can induce rapid and durable clinical responses, but is associated with unique acute toxicities, which can be severe or even fatal. Cytokine-release syndrome (CRS), the most commonly observed toxicity, can range in severity from low-grade constitutional symptoms to a high-grade syndrome associated with life-threatening multiorgan dysfunction; rarely, severe CRS can evolve into fulminant haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Neurotoxicity, termed CAR-T-cell-related encephalopathy syndrome (CRES), is the second most-common adverse event, and can occur concurrently with or after CRS. Intensive monitoring and prompt management of toxicities is essential to minimize the morbidity and mortality associated with this potentially curative therapeutic approach; however, algorithms for accurate and consistent grading and management of the toxicities are lacking. To address this unmet need, we formed a CAR-T-cell-therapy-associated TOXicity (CARTOX) Working Group, comprising investigators from multiple institutions and medical disciplines who have experience in treating patients with various CAR-T-cell therapy products. Herein, we describe the multidisciplinary approach adopted at our institutions, and provide recommendations for monitoring, grading, and managing the acute toxicities that can occur in patients treated with CAR-T-cell therapy.

Purpose-To conduct a controlled trial of bevacizumab for the treatment of symptomatic radiation necrosis of the brain.Methods and Materials-Fourteen patients were entered into a placebo-controlled randomized double-blind study of bevacizumab for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) radiation necrosis. All patients were required to have radiographic or biopsy proof of CNS radiation necrosis and progressive neurological symptoms or signs. Eligible patients received irradiation for head and neck carcinomas, meningioma, or low-to mid-grade gliomas. Patients were randomized to receive IV saline or bevacizumab at 3-week intervals. MRI 3-weeks after the second treatment and clinical signs and symptoms defined response or progression. Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. and T 1 -weighted gadolinium-enhanced volumes and decrease K trans . All bevacizumab-treated patients -and none of the placebo-treated patients -showed improvement in neurological symptoms or signs. At a median of 10 months after the last dose of bevacizumab in patients receiving all 4 study doses, only 2 patients had experienced a recurrence of MRI changes consistent with progressive radiation necrosis, and this was the only patient to receive only 2 treatments with bevacizumab. Results-The Conflict of InterestConclusions-This class I evidence of bevacizumab efficacy in the treatment of CNS radiation necrosis justifies consideration of this treatment option for people who suffer radiation necrosis secondary to the treatment of head and neck and brain cancers.

A B S T R A C T PurposeNeurotoxic effects of brain irradiation include cognitive impairment in 50% to 90% of patients. Prior studies have suggested that donepezil, a neurotransmitter modulator, may improve cognitive function. Patients and MethodsA total of 198 adult brain tumor survivors Ն 6 months after partial-or whole-brain irradiation were randomly assigned to receive a single daily dose (5 mg for 6 weeks, 10 mg for 18 weeks) of donepezil or placebo. A cognitive test battery assessing memory, attention, language, visuomotor, verbal fluency, and executive functions was administered before random assignment and at 12 and 24 weeks. A cognitive composite score (primary outcome) and individual cognitive domains were evaluated. ResultsOf this mostly middle-age, married, non-Hispanic white sample, 66% had primary brain tumors, 27% had brain metastases, and 8% underwent prophylactic cranial irradiation. After 24 weeks of treatment, the composite scores did not differ significantly between groups (P ϭ .48); however, significant differences favoring donepezil were observed for memory (recognition, P ϭ .027; discrimination, P ϭ .007) and motor speed and dexterity (P ϭ .016). Significant interactions between pretreatment cognitive function and treatment were found for cognitive composite (P ϭ .01), immediate recall (P ϭ .05), delayed recall (P ϭ .004), attention (P ϭ .01), visuomotor skills (P ϭ .02), and motor speed and dexterity (P Ͻ .001), with the benefits of donepezil greater for those who were more cognitively impaired before study treatment. ConclusionTreatment with donepezil did not significantly improve the overall composite score, but it did result in modest improvements in several cognitive functions, especially among patients with greater pretreatment impairments.

Background We sought to ascertain the immune effector function of pembrolizumab within the glioblastoma (GBM) microenvironment during the therapeutic window. Methods In an open-label, single-center, single-arm phase II “window-of-opportunity” trial in 15 patients with recurrent (operable) GBM receiving up to 2 pembrolizumab doses before surgery and every 3 weeks afterward until disease progression or unacceptable toxicities occurred, immune responses were evaluated within the tumor. Results No treatment-related deaths occurred. Overall median follow-up time was 50 months. Of 14 patients monitored, 10 had progressive disease, 3 had a partial response, and 1 had stable disease. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 4.5 months (95% CI: 2.27, 6.83), and the 6-month PFS rate was 40%. Median overall survival (OS) was 20 months, with an estimated 1-year OS rate of 63%. GBM patients’ recurrent tumors contained few T cells that demonstrated a paucity of immune activation markers, but the tumor microenvironment was markedly enriched for CD68+ macrophages. Conclusions Immune analyses indicated that pembrolizumab anti–programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) monotherapy alone can’t induce effector immunologic response in most GBM patients, probably owing to a scarcity of T cells within the tumor microenvironment and a CD68+ macrophage preponderance.