About CAR-T Cell Therapy:
- CAR T-cell therapy, or chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, is an advanced form of immunotherapy used to treat certain types of cancer by modifying a patient’s own immune cells to fight the disease.
- This treatment is designed for specific types of blood cancer and is given to patients whose cancer has either relapsed or not responded to first-line treatment.
- How does CAR-T Cell Therapy Work?
- For any CAR T-cell therapy, a patient’s immune T cells are collected by filtering their blood.
- T cells, also known as T lymphocytes, are a type of white blood cell.
- T cells are key players in the body's immune system because of their ability to identify and attack cells that don't belong in the body, such as germs and cancer cells.
- In the lab, these T cells are modified to produce synthetic proteins called chimeric antigen receptors (CARs).
- The modified cells are called CAR-T cells. The cells are grown to much higher numbers in the lab and then infused back into the person's bloodstream.
- The synthetic CARs allow the T cells to bind to specific proteins called antigens on cancer cells. This binding activates the T cells to kill the cancer cells.
- Dying cancer cells trigger further immune responses against the cancer.
- In addition, CAR-T cells can keep multiplying in the body, producing lasting anticancer results.
- In some cases, CAR T-cell therapy can cure blood cancer. Other times, it helps people with certain blood cancers live longer.
- CAR-T cell therapy is used to treat cancers that affect blood cells. This includes
- B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
- Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
- Follicular lymphoma.
- High-grade B-cell lymphoma.
- Mantle cell lymphoma
- Multiple myeloma.
- Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma.
- Side Effects:
- A serious immune overreaction causing hyperinflammation and organ damage, seen in 12% of participants, resulting in at least one death.
- Low red blood cell count, reported in 61% of participants, causing fatigue and weakness.
- Thrombocytopenia: Low platelet count, increasing the risk of bleeding, reported in 65% of patients.
- Neutropenia: Low neutrophil count, seen in 96% of participants, raising the risk of infections.
