CAR T-Cell Therapy

patient consulting with doctor about CAR T-cell therapy

What is CAR T-cell therapy?

CAR T-cell therapy is a form of immunotherapy, which boosts a part of your immune system called a T cell, to fight cancer. This therapy takes T cells from your blood, modifies and multiplies them in the lab, and infuses them back into your body to attack cancer.

Known as an adoptive cellular therapy, CAR T-cell therapy gets its name from the synthetic receptor that’s added to your T cells in the lab—called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR).

This innovative therapy offers an additional treatment option for people who have certain hard-to-treat blood cancers or recurring cancers.

How does CAR T-cell therapy work?

Your immune system recognizes foreign or abnormal cells in your body by looking for toxic or foreign substances (known as antigens) on their surface. Each T cell has something called a “receptor” that attaches to these antigens, telling the immune system to destroy the foreign cell.

Antigens and receptors are like two pieces of Velcro. You need each side of the Velcro to make it stick. If your T cells don’t have the correct receptors to attach to the antigens on your cancer cells, they can’t destroy them. CAR-T cell therapy gives your T cells the receptor they need to bind to cancer cell antigens, allowing your immune system to fight cancer better.

Since different cancer types have different antigens, each CAR created is made for a specific cancer cell. CAR-T cell therapies used to treat leukemia or lymphoma, for example, may not work for other cancers like skin cancer or breast cancer.

What cancers are treated with CAR T-cell therapy?

Six types of CAR T-cell therapy are approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat certain blood cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Your care team may use this therapy after you’ve tried other options, like Quimioterapia, that haven’t worked well in fighting your cancer.

Because CAR T-cell therapy is a relatively new treatment option for cancer, research is still ongoing. Studies are investigating other ways to use the therapy to treat blood cancers and solid tumors, such as Cáncer de Mama, brain cancer and Cáncer de pulmón.

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
The first-ever FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapy—called tisagenlecleucel or Kymriah—was developed to treat acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Along with other options like bone marrow transplant, CAR T-cell is used in people ages 25 and under when other treatments don’t work or when ALL comes back.
B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma

B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma

B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the most common type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and it’s often treated first with a combination of monoclonal antibodies and chemotherapy. But if this type of cancer comes back or resists the standard treatments, your care team may use CAR T-cell therapy. The three CAR T-cell therapies approved for B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma include lisocabtagene maraleucel (Breyanzi), tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah) and axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta).
Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma

Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma
Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A CAR T-cell therapy called lisocabtagene maraleucel (Breyanzi) is an option for this type of large B-cell lymphoma when other treatments don’t work or if it comes back within 12 months of treatment.
Mantle cell lymphoma

Mantle cell lymphoma
When mantle cell lymphoma doesn’t respond to other treatments or when it returns, CAR T-cell therapy is an option. Currently, brexucabtagene autoleucel (Tecartus) is approved to treat this type of lymphoma. It works by targeting CD19, a specific protein found in cancer cells.
Multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma
Two CAR T-cell therapies are available to treat multiple myeloma—ciltacabtagene autoleucel (Carvykti) and idecabtagene vicleucel (Abecma). Your care team may recommend one of these therapies if you’ve tried multiple other treatment options or your myeloma relapses.

B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)

The first-ever FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapy—called tisagenlecleucel or Kymriah—was developed to treat acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Along with other options like bone marrow transplant, CAR T-cell is used in people ages 25 and under when other treatments don’t work or when ALL comes back.

B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma

B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the most common type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and it’s often treated first with a combination of monoclonal antibodies and chemotherapy. But if this type of cancer comes back or resists the standard treatments, your care team may use CAR T-cell therapy. The three CAR T-cell therapies approved for B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma include lisocabtagene maraleucel (Breyanzi), tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah) and axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta).

Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma

Primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma is a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A CAR T-cell therapy called lisocabtagene maraleucel (Breyanzi) is an option for this type of large B-cell lymphoma when other treatments don’t work or if it comes back within 12 months of treatment.

Mantle cell lymphoma

When mantle cell lymphoma doesn’t respond to other treatments or when it returns, CAR T-cell therapy is an option. Currently, brexucabtagene autoleucel (Tecartus) is approved to treat this type of lymphoma. It works by targeting CD19, a specific protein found in cancer cells.

Multiple myeloma

Two CAR T-cell therapies are available to treat multiple myeloma—ciltacabtagene autoleucel (Carvykti) and idecabtagene vicleucel (Abecma). Your care team may recommend one of these therapies if you’ve tried multiple other treatment options or your myeloma relapses.

What is the CAR T-cell therapy process?

The CAR T-cell therapy process can take a few months and involves four basic steps. Your care team will collect T cells from your blood, modify and multiply them in the lab, infuse them back into your body, and monitor you for several weeks.

CAR T-cell therapy side effects

During the collection of T cells through leukapheresis, a drop in blood calcium levels may cause numbness, tingling, or muscle spasms. This can easily and quickly be treated by replacing the calcium, either orally or through an IV.

Additionally, if you have CAR T-cell therapy, you may experience other symptoms, such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS), allergic reactions or effects on the nervous system.

When the CAR-T cells begin multiplying after your infusion, there is a chance of developing cytokine release syndrome (CRS) due to the release of a large amount of chemicals known as cytokines into your blood.

You may also have an allergic reaction during the infusion, a weakened immune system, low blood cell counts or abnormal levels of minerals in the blood.

It’s important to report all symptoms or side effects you experience right away to your physician so that you can work together to manage them.

Clinical trials of new cellular therapies

While some cellular therapies are approved for blood cancers and other cancer types, many are still being studied in Ensayos clínicos. Our focus on cancer research means you may have access to investigational cellular therapies and other cancer treatments that aren’t yet on the market—giving you even more power in your fight against cancer. By taking part in a clinical trial, you’ll also be advancing options for future patients.

Our teams of multiple specialists will work with you to create a plan for your cancer treatment, including providing you with information about current clinical trials. Whether you’ve just been diagnosed or are looking for more options for your care, talk with your care team about how research and clinical trials could benefit you.

What is CAR T-cell therapy?

How does CAR T-cell therapy work?

What cancers are treated with CAR T-cell therapy?