Cytomegalovirus Retinitis and Retinal Detachment following Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy for Relapsed/Refractory Multiple Myeloma

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis is a rare end-organ disease of CMV infection and is a marker of severe immunosuppression, especially in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients. In multiple myeloma (MM) patients, CMV retinitis has been reported in the post-transplant setting, with an inc...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Cheng Zu, Yufeng Xu, Yiyun Wang, Mingming Zhang, Houli Zhao, Xiaoyun Fang, He Huang, Yongxian Hu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-01-01
Series:Current Oncology
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1718-7729/29/2/44
Description
Summary:Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis is a rare end-organ disease of CMV infection and is a marker of severe immunosuppression, especially in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients. In multiple myeloma (MM) patients, CMV retinitis has been reported in the post-transplant setting, with an incidence lower than 0.2%, and in patients receiving lenalidomide. Here, we describe the first case of CMV retinitis in myeloma patients following B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-targeted chimeric antigen receptor T (BCMA CAR-T) cell therapy. In addition to CMV, the patient developed multiple infections including a mouth ulcer, pneumonia, and fungal enteritis. While the complete remission (CR) status of MM was maintained, he regained a visual acuity of 20/1000 after appropriate ophthalmologic treatment. This single case illustrates the potential of BCMA CAR-T therapy to induce profound humoral immunosuppression, and demonstrates an imperative need for an established standard of monitoring and prophylaxis of post-CAR-T infections.
ISSN:1198-0052
1718-7729