EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF CHIMERIC ANTIGEN RECEPTOR-MODIFIED T CELL (CAR-T) THERAPY IN LYMPHOMA: AN UPDATED SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

I Gede Krisna Arim Sadeva (Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Denpasar, 80232, Indonesia)
I Gede Wikania Wira Wiguna (Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Denpasar, 80232, Indonesia)
Ni Wayan Armerinayanti (Faculty of Medicine Warmadewa University)
Putu Mirah Wahyu Subagia Putri (Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Denpasar, 80232, Indonesia)
Christo Timothy Mamangdean (1Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Denpasar, 80232, Indonesia)
Putu Ari Shanti Dewi (Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Denpasar, 80232, Indonesia)
Kadek Meryndha Kumala Tungga (Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Denpasar, 80232, Indonesia)
I Komang Raditya Putra Pratama (Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Denpasar, 80232, Indonesia)
Agung Brahmanthya Nadine Kepakisan (Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Denpasar, 80232, Indonesia)
Komang Indra Parama Arta (Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Denpasar, 80232, Indonesia)

Meditory : The Journal of Medical Laboratory
Vol. 14 No. 1 (2026): Meditory, Volume 14 No. 1 Tahun 2026

Abstract Background: Lymphoma (Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin) is a malignancy of the lymphatic system, with global prevalence reaching 2.8% and mortality rates reaching 248,700 cases each year. Therefore, Chimeric Antigen Receptor-Modified T cell therapy (CAR-T) was developed as a new approach to improve survival rates in lymphoma patients. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CAR-T cell therapy in lymphoma. Methods: PRISMA 2020 was used in the literature search and systematic review with the keywords "CAR-T Cell Therapy" and "Lymphoma". All statistical analyses were performed with R statistical software version 3.3 and MedCalc software version 22. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There were 16 studies involving 440 patients with lymphoma. The complete response rate was 62% (95% CI 55%-65%, I² = 40%). Meanwhile, cytokine release syndrome (CRS) occurred in 73% of cases (95% CI 49%-88%, I² = 80%). The overall Immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) rate was 17% (95% CI 9%-30%, I² = 66%). There is no significant publication bias in all analyses (p-value>0.05). However, these results need to be interpreted with caution, considering the high heterogeneity in the pooled analysis results (I² > 50%).