Background: Durable responses were seen in registration trials for CAR-T in NHL across poor prognostic groups including early relapse post stem cell transplant (ASCT). Multi-center reports of real-world practice noted patients who received BT prior to CAR-T had decreased survival. The impact of last ST and response to BT on clinical outcome are examined here. Methods: Retrospective chart review was performed on 47 patients who received axicabtagene ciloleucel from June 2016 – September 2019 at Mayo Clinic, Rochester. ST was defined as last therapy prior to leukapheresis and grouped into categories – non-ASCT (chemotherapy, and immunotherapy), and ASCT. BT was defined as therapy given between leukapheresis and CAR-T. Response to therapy was evaluated using 2014 Lugano criteria. Event free survival (EFS) was defined as time from CAR-T infusion to progression, next treatment, or death. Results: The ST distribution was 77% non-ASCT [chemo 66% (31), and immunotherapy 11% (5)], and 23% (11) ASCT. EFS was significantly prolonged for the ASCT (median not reached) vs non-ASCT (median 3.8 months, p = 0.03) despite no difference in median prior lines of therapy. This may reflect more aggressive disease in the non-ASCT arm, as time from start of ST to leukapheresis was shorter (median non-ASCT 2.2 months vs. ASCT 4.4 months, p = 0.0008). Patients received BT if there were concerns for symptomatic progression during CAR-T manufacturing that would reduce the likelihood to receive CAR-T. Sixty-two percent (29) patients received BT (11 chemo, and 18 immunotherapy). The EFS did not differ between the type of BT. However, patients who progressed after BT had worse EFS than those who achieved stable disease or partial response (median 2.8 vs 8.7 months, p = 0.03). Conclusions: Patients who received CAR-T as the next treatment after ASCT had better EFS than those after other types of ST. While patients who received BT have worse survival than those who didn’t, having some control of lymphoma progression with BT was associated with better EFS than those who continued to have progressive disease.