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Lymphodepleting Chemotherapy and Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy for the Treatment of Recurrent or Refractory CD19-positive Leukemia in Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Patients

Trial Status: approved

This phase II trial studies the side effects and best dose for lymphodepleting chemotherapy given before chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy and to see how well it works in treating pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients with CD19-positve leukemia that has come back after a period of improvement (recurrent) or that does not respond to treatment (refractory). Lymphodepleting chemotherapy with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide is given before CAR T cell therapy. The chemotherapy drugs help kill cancer cells in the body and help the CAR T cells to grow and work better. CAR T cell therapy combines two of the body’s basic disease fighters: antibodies and T cells. For this type of therapy, peripheral (circulating) immune cells are collected from the blood and then changed so that they can recognize an antigen. This antigen is a particle or 'flag' present on the surface of a cancer cell. If the CAR T cells 'see' the antigen on the cancer cell, they will attack and kill it. This study uses a CAR T cell that 'sees' an antigen called CD19 which is found on CD19-positive leukemia cancer cells. Giving lymphodepleting chemotherapy with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide followed by CAR T cell therapy may be safe, tolerable, and/or effective in treating pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients with recurrent or refractory CD19-positive leukemia.