Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR T-cell therapy) is a relatively new treatment that uses the patient’s own immune system to fight cancer.
CAR T-cell therapy removes T-cells from the blood and inserts a new gene into them to make it easier for the T-cells to fight cancer. The new cells are called CAR T-cells.
The CAR T-cells are then infused into the patient to begin fighting cancer.
As of June, 2024 the FDA has approved the following CAR T-cell therapies for patients who relapsed, or did not respond to treatment, after several rounds of chemotherapy:
- Abecma® (idecabtagene vicleucel) for adults with multiple myeloma
- Breyanzi® (lisocabtagene maraleucel; liso-cel) for adults with large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL)
- Carvykti™ (ciltacabtagene autoleucel) for adults with multiple myeloma
- Kymriah® (tisagenlecleucel) for:
- children and young adults (up to 25 years old) with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
- adults with certain types of lymphoma
- Tecartus® (brexucabtagene autoleucel) for adults with:
- mantle cell lymphoma
- B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
- Yescarta® (axicabtagene ciloleucel) for adults with some types of lymphoma
The specific CAR T-therapy available to you will vary depending on the medical center where you are receiving treatment. In addition to FDA-approved therapiess, your treatment center may offer you an opportunity to participate in a clinical trial testing a new type of CAR T-cell therapy.
Watch this video about CAR T-cell therapy for patients with multiple myeloma. Click here to read the transcript and download the slides.
\Watch this video about CAR T-cell therapy for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Click here to read the transcript and download the slides.
NEXT: Steps Involved in CAR T-cell Therapy
Updated June 2024
