A new study suggests that the precision cell therapy Orca-T may outperform the current standard treatment, post-transplant cyclophosphamide (PTCy), for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) undergoing stem cell transplants.
In this retrospective analysis, patients treated with Orca-T showed notably better outcomes than those who received PTCy. Two-year overall survival reached 84% with Orca-T, compared to 61% with PTCy. Relapse-free survival was also higher at 79% versus 53%, while non-relapse mortality was lower at 12% compared to 17%.
Researchers say Orca-T’s advantage comes from its precision approach. The therapy uses a specialized cell selection process to strengthen the anti-leukemia effect while reducing the risk of graft-versus-host disease. It also avoids the need for additional chemotherapy, relying instead on a single drug, tacrolimus, which may lower risks such as heart toxicity and infections.
The benefits appear especially strong in patients over age 50, a group that often has difficulty tolerating intensive treatments. While PTCy remains widely used, experts say Orca-T could become an important new option, particularly for older or higher-risk patients, by improving survival outcomes with fewer side effects.