Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR T-cell) therapy is a new approach to fighting cancer using the patient’s own immune system.
Certain immune system cells, called T-cells or T-lymphocytes, are normally able to identify abnormal cells, like cancer cells, and destroy them before they multiply and cause disease. Sometimes, however, T-cells have trouble detecting cancer cells.
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 September, 2023 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:
- Kymriah® (tisagenlecleucel) for
- patients up to 25 years old) with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
- adults with some types of lymphoma
- Yescarta® (axicabtagene ciloleucel) for
- adults with certain types of lymphoma
- Tecartus® (brexucabtagene autoleucel) for adults with
- mantle cell lymphoma
- B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
- Breyanzi® (lisocabtagene maraleucel; liso-cel) for adults with
- large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL)
- Abecma® (idecabtagene vicleucel) for adults with
- multiple myeloma
- Carvykti™ (ciltacabtagene autoleucel) for adults with
- multiple myeloma
The specific CAR T-therapy available to you will vary depending on the medical center where you are receiving treatment. Your insurance plan may limit coverage to specific CAR T-therapies.
Your treatment center may offer you an opportunity to participate in a clinical trial testing a new type of CAR T-cell therapy. Research is underway to determine if patients with other types of cancer can also benefit from 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 September, 2023
