Doctors studied a new blood test that looks at proteins in the blood to see if it could predict which lymphoma patients might get serious immune side effects. The study included 98 patients with lymphoma that had come back or wasn't responding to treatment. These patients were treated at two cancer centers in the United States.
The researchers found that the blood test could identify patients at higher risk for two types of severe immune reactions: cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity (ICANS). Patients in the high-risk group were about 14 times more likely to get severe CRS and about 9 times more likely to get severe ICANS compared to low-risk patients. The test worked reasonably well in predicting these outcomes.
This study was relatively small and looked back at patients who had already been treated, so we can't be sure how well the test would work for new patients. The results are promising but need to be confirmed in larger studies before doctors could use this test to guide treatment decisions. If future research confirms these findings, such a test might help doctors identify which patients need extra monitoring or preventive treatments.