Impact of diagnostic investigations in the management of CAR T-cell-associated neurotoxicity.

International guidelines regarding the management of immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) recommend several diagnostic investigations, including MRI, lumbar puncture (LP) and EEG based on ICANS grade. However, the impact of these investigations has not yet been evaluated. Here, we aimed to describe the role of MRI, LP and EEG in the management of ICANS in a cohort of real-life patients treated with CAR T-cells at the University Hospital of Rennes, France. Between August 2018 and January 2023, 190 consecutive patients were treated with CAR T-cells. Among those, 91 (48%) patients developed ICANS. MRI was performed in 71 (78%) patients with ICANS, with a therapeutic impact in 4% of patients, despite frequent abnormal findings. Lumbar puncture was performed in 43 (47%) patients which led to preemptive antimicrobial agents in 7% of patients although no infection was eventually detected. Systematic EEG was performed in 51 (56%) patients which led to therapeutic modifications in 16% of patients. Our study shows that EEG is the diagnostic investigation with the greatest therapeutic impact while MRI and LP appear to have a limited therapeutic impact. Our results emphasize the role of EEG in the current guidelines, but questions the need for systematic MRI and LP, which might be left to the discretion of the treating physician.