Eleftheria Kampouri, Elizabeth M Krantz, Hu Xie, Sarah S Ibrahimi, Erika S Kiem, Mandeep K Sekhon, Emily C Liang, Andrew J Cowan, Andrew J Portuguese, Damian J Green, Aya Albittar, Jennifer J Huang, Jordan Gauthier, Ailyn C Pérez-Osorio, Keith R Jerome, Danielle Zerr, Michael J Boeckh, Joshua A Hill
Human herpesvirus-6B (HHV-6B) reactivation and disease are increasingly reported after CAR-T-cell therapy (CARTx). HHV-6 reactivation in the CAR-T-cell product was recently reported, raising questions about product and patient management. Due to overlapping manifestations with immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome, diagnosing HHV-6B encephalitis is challenging. We provide two lines of evidence assessing the incidence and outcomes of HHV-6B after CARTx. First, in a prospective study with weekly HHV-6B testing for up to 12 weeks post-infusion, HHV-6B reactivation occurred in eight of 89 participants; three had chromosomally integrated HHV-6 and were excluded, resulting in a cumulative incidence of HHV-6B reactivation of 6% (95% confidence interval (CI), 2...
April 18, 2024: Blood