EBMT Educational Tools vs CARTOX

The new 2018 EBMT Educational Tools application provides a SOS/VOD Severity Grading calculator based on the 2016 Revised diagnosis and severity criteria for SOS/VOD (Bone Marrow Transplant. 2016 Jul; 51(7): 906–912., M. Mohty et. all). Abstract: Sinusoidal obstruction syndrome, also known as veno-occlusive disease (SOS/VOD), is a potentially life threatening complication that can develop after hematopoietic cell transplantation. Although SOS/VOD progressively resolves within a few weeks in most patients, the most severe forms result in multi-organ dysfunction and are associated with a high mortality rate (>80%). Therefore, careful attention must be paid to allow an early detection of SOS/VOD and severity assessment. The aim of this educational application is to help investigators in the diagnosis, and a severity-grading system for SOS/VOD in adult patients, on behalf of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. The European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) is a non-profit organisation that was established in 1974 in order to allow scientists and physicians involved in clinical bone marrow transplantation to share their experience and develop co-operative studies. The EBMT is devoted to the promotion of all aspects associated with the transplantation of haematopoietic stem cells from all donor sources and donor types including basic and clinical research, education, standardisation, quality control, and accreditation for transplant procedures. Development of this EBMT Educational Tool was made possible thanks to an unrestricted educational grant from Jazz Pharmaceuticals.

Cellular therapies can be associated with unique, acute toxicities which can be severe or even fatal if not identified early and treated appropriately. Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS), the most commonly observed toxicity can range in severity from low-grade constitutional symptoms to high-grade syndrome associated with life-threatening multi-organ disfunction. Neurotoxicity, originally termed CRES (CAR-Related Encephalopathy Syndrome) and now updated to ICANS (Immune effector Cell-Associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome) is the second most-common adverse even and can occur concurrently with CRS. A multi-disciplinary working group was formed to address safety issues for patients receiving cellular therapy which led to the development of new grading methods and treatment algorithms that have been incorporated into the CARTOX mobile app. The CARTOX mobile app assists with grading toxicities, managing toxicities and assists with recommendations regarding appropriate antimicrobial prophylaxis for patients who have received immune effector cell therapy. Users are more easily able to determine if the patient is having cytokine release syndrome or neurotoxicity and to grade those toxicities. Intended audience: Clinicians (physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, nurses) who treat/care for patients receiving immune effector cells.