"CAR T-cell therapy in liquid and solid tumors"

Abstract

CAR T cell therapy is a type of immunotherapy that utilizes synthetic, chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) to reprogram T cell antigen specificity and function. These genetically modified T cells are expanded in the lab and then infused into the patient, granting them the ability to fight certain types of diseases such as cancer. CAR T cell therapy has changed the way we view personalized cancer treatment especially in hematologic malignancies, altering the landscape of T cell-based immunotherapy. The MHC-independent CAR-mediated T cell recognition of malignant cells has led to a plethora of targets being tested for a wide variety of tumors. The targeting of CD19, a cell surface molecule expressed on normal B cells as well as in a vast majority of B cell malignancies, and BCMA, expressed on differentiated B cells and cancerous plasma cells, showed great results in the treatment of relapsed or refractory leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma, with significant clinical responses and high rates of complete remission. Despite the durable remissions in hematologic malignancies, CAR T cell therapy is limited by potentially severe toxicities. Cytokine release syndrome and neurological toxicities are still of great concern to the safety issue following CAR T cell infusion. Treatment of solid tumors using CAR T cell therapy is still a major challenge due to the heterogeneity of such tumors, their physical barriers, and the highly immunosuppressive nature of the solid tumor microenvironment. 

TOLIS Rafail