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MD Anderson releases free CAR T-cell therapy toxicity grading and management app
Photo credit: MD Anderson Cancer Center
CHICAGO — The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has developed a new mobile app that assists with the grading and management of toxicities related to chimeric antigen receptor T-cell and other immune effector cell therapies, according to information presented at ASCO Annual Meeting.
Elizabeth J. Shpall, MD, director of the Cell Therapy Laboratory and Cord Blood Bank at MD Anderson Cancer Center, demonstrated the new app — called CARTOX — for HemOnc Today at the event.
“It’s truly amazing,” said Shpall, who has been reviewing and testing the app since it was made available to MD Anderson staff in August 2018.
Shpall showed how the new app works, quickly ticking off a few yes/no questions, which then led to a series of other choices and, in less than 30 seconds, a diagnosis, along with the level of toxicity and possible choices for treatment.
She thinks the app could have a significant impact on clinical practice.
“I use it every day,” she said. It can be used by nurses, fellows and established practitioners alike, and it presents significant value in terms of time savings, Shpall said.
The app’s intended audience is clinicians who treat patients receiving immune effector cell therapy, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses and pharmacists.
Shpall insisted that all the credit for the app goes to Sherry Adkins, RN, MSN, ANP-C, the advanced practice provider supervisor for the department of lymphoma/myeloma at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
“The CARTOX mobile app for iPhone and Android was designed to assist clinicians with accurate, timely grading and treatment of toxicities associated with immune effector cellular therapy, thus allowing for safer, more efficient care of this rapidly expanding population of patients,” Adkins told HemOnc Today. “As the science evolves, the mobile app will continue to be updated to reflect the most current practice guidelines.”
Adkins developed the idea for the CARTOX mobile app and its implementation, with Darren Skeete and the IT department at MD Anderson providing coding for the app. The process began in the fall of 2017, and members of MD Anderson’s staff, including Shpall and Sattva S. Neelapu, MD, director of laboratory and translational research in the department of lymphoma/myeloma at MD Anderson, served on a CARTOX committee that reviewed and tested the mobile app. Neelapu was one of the main contributors to the CARTOX treatment algorithm.
“Toxicity management is based on the CARTOX guidelines, which were developed by a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional group of clinicians,” Adkins said.
“The initial version of the toxicity grading was based on the CARTOX guidelines but has since been updated to reflect the [American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy] consensus grading. Toxicity management guidelines are currently being updated and the mobile app will be updated to reflect those changes soon.”
The app is free to download from the Apple Store and Google Play. – by Drew Amorosi
References:
Shpall EJ. Assessment and management of cytokine release syndrome. Presented at: ASCO Annual Meeting; May 31-June 4, 2019; Chicago.
Lee DW, et al. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2019;doi:10.1016/j.bbmt.2018.12.758.
Neelapu SS, et al. Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2018;doi:10.1038/nrclinonc.2017.148.
Disclosures: Adkins reports no relevant financial disclosures. Shpall reports honoraria and travel expenses from Magenta and Novartis, as well as consultant/advisory roles with Adaptimmune, Magenta, Novartis and Velos.