CAR-T Therapy

CAR-T therapy stands for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy. The main goal of CAR-T therapy is to provide cancer patients with a personalized form of immunotherapy where the white blood cells of the patient are altered so it can recognize and destroy the cancer cells.  CAR-T therapy is for patients with blood cancers; it is usually suggested when the cancer is not reacting to other treatments, or when there is a relapse within 12 months.  

Immune cells are able to find anything that is foreign to the body by detecting antigens. T cells, a type of immune cell, attach to the antigen and are able to initiate other parts of the immune system to get rid of the foreign material. This is the basis of how CAR-T therapy functions. T cells are extracted from the blood and then their receptors are modified to have the CAR (chimeric antigen receptor). This leads the T cells to be able to detect cancer cells that have the specific antigen that the CAR can detect. Each CAR is different and is specific to a certain cancer antigen.  

CAR-T therapy is currently approved by the FDA to treat different types of leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma cancers; some examples include Tisagenlecleucel, Axicabtagene ciloleucel, and Ideectabagene vicleucel. The process of CAR-T therapy is as such: T cells are collected from the body through a procedure called leukapheresis, in which blood is collected and white cells are filtered out. Then, after a few weeks of the T cells being altered, the have T cells are transferred back into the blood stream and the body ismonitored for another week or two. After the T cells are altered to have the CAR, they are also grown until there are millions of them that can be then transferred back into the patient's body. 

These treatments have been extremely effective for patients withe advanced blood cancers. However, some side effects have been noted. One such side effect includes Cytokine release syndrome, leading to symptoms like extreme fever, breathing issues, headaches, and exhaustion. Additionally, there have been effects on the nervous system which can result in seizures, headaches, and loss of balance. Other side effects include infections and a loss of antibody producing B cells. 

Additionally, another factor with CAR-T cell therapy is the expense. The price to get this treatment done ranges from 300,000 thousand to 500,000 thousand dollars. Like many other cancer treatments, CAR-T therapy is extremely expensive and can be a huge barrier for cancer patients. 

There are still trials being conducted for the cancers that are currently non-approved for CAR-T cell therapy.  Overall, CAR-T cell therapy has immense potential in being a leading treatment for blood cancers. 

References:

“CAR T-Cell Therapy and Its Side Effects.” Cancer.org, 2024, www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/treatment-types/immunotherapy/car-t-cell.html.

National Cancer Institute. “CAR T Cells: Engineering Immune Cells to Treat Cancer.” National Cancer Institute, Cancer.gov, 26 Feb. 2025, www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/research/car-t-cells.

“CAR-T Cell Therapy - Mayo Clinic.” Mayoclinic.org, 2025, www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/car-t-cell-therapy/about/pac-20585020.

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