How does CAR-T cell therapy work?

In short, CAR-T cell therapy your T cells to fight cancer.

Your body’s uses white blood cells called T cells to find and fight intruders that are not considered normal in the body, including cancer cells.

Sometimes your T cells are not able to find or detect cancer cells, so the cancer may continue to grow.

CAR-T cell therapy changes your T cells so they can recognize cancer cells and attack them.

CAR-T Cell Therapy Is Personalized Just for You

Your T cells are being changed to recognize and attack your cancer. This is called an because it uses the power of your immune system to fight the disease.

After you and your doctor have decided
CAR-T cell therapy is right for you, your personalized treatment will be created.
There are a few steps in this process:

1
Your T cells will be
collected and sent
to a lab.
2
The lab will add something to your T cells called a that will help recognize the cancer cells. These cells are called CAR-T cells.
3
The receptor will
help the CAR-T cells recognize and attack the cancer cells.*

*CAR-T cells may also recognize some healthy cells.

How CAR-T gets its name:

(the science behind the process)

ANTIGEN

RECEPTOR

T CELLS

CAR-T Therapy
Treatment Process

Step 1: cell collection, Step 2: changing your T cells, Step 3: pre-infusion treatment, Step 4: one-time CAR-T infusion, Step 5: monitoring. Between cell collection and pre-infusion treatment, your doctor may prescribe additional therapy to treat your cancer, often called bridging therapy.Step 1: cell collection, Step 2: changing your T cells, Step 3: pre-infusion treatment, Step 4: one-time CAR-T infusion, Step 5: monitoring. Between cell collection and pre-infusion treatment, your doctor may prescribe additional therapy to treat your cancer, often called bridging therapy.

Is CAR-T cell therapy
an option
for my
type
of cancer?

Talk With Your Doctor

Ask about CAR-T cell therapy and if it is right for you.
Here are some questions to get the conversation started.

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CAR-T cell therapy is approved to treat some types of blood cancer, including lymphoma, certain types of leukemia, and multiple myeloma.

CAR-T cell therapy options depend on many things, including the type of blood cancer you have and treatments you may have already tried.

What is the difference between car-t cell therapy and a stem cell transplant?

CAR-T cell therapy and stem cell transplant use cells from your body in different ways.

CAR-T Cell
Therapy

Focuses on attacking the cancer by using your own T cells that have been changed to recognize and destroy the cancer.

Stem Cell
Transplant

Uses your own stem cells to help your recover and restore healthy blood counts after high-dose .

What happens after my one-time CAR-T cell
infusion?

You and your healthcare team will watch for any signs of side effects.

You should plan to be near the location where you received your treatment for at least 4 weeks after the infusion. This is in case you develop any side effects that may require medical attention.

What are the known side effects of
CAR-T cell therapy?

What are the
known side
effects of
CAR-T cell
therapy?

Every person is different, and every treatment is different,
so not everybody will have the same side effects.

In addition to helping your immune system fight cancer, CAR-T cells can make your immune system too active or cause problems in other parts of your body. All CAR-T cell therapies can cause very serious side effects.

These vary by product, but include:
  • Cytokine release syndrome (CRS)
  • Neurologic toxicities
  • T cell malignancies
  • Immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS)
  • Parkinsonism
  • Guillain-Barré syndrome
  • Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis/macrophage activation syndrome (HLH/MAS)
  • Cytopenias
  • Secondary hematological malignancies

Let’s look at 2 of these, and the signs or symptoms to watch for:


(cytokine release syndrome)

CRS is a reaction that can happen when your immune system becomes overly active. Signs may include but are not limited to:

  • fever
  • chills or shivering
  • low blood pressure (which may make you feel dizzy or lightheaded)
  • trouble breathing or feeling short of breath
  • changes in liver function (your doctor will check this with blood tests)
  • in rare cases, CRS can be linked to a serious immune system condition that affects multiple organs (HLH/MAS)


(nervous system side effects)

Neurotoxicity affects the brain and nerves. Signs to look out for may include but are not limited to:

  • trouble speaking or finding the right words (aphasia)
  • feeling confused, drowsy, or less alert than usual
  • feeling restless or easily upset (agitation)
  • seeing or believing things that aren’t real (delirium)
  • trouble thinking clearly or remembering things
  • muscle weakness or difficulty moving

Infections can also be a sign of serious side effects. Watch for:

  • flu-like symptoms including chills, fever, cough, or chest pain
  • fatigue
  • pain during urination
  • vomiting or diarrhea

Other side effects include:

  • allergic reactions during infusion
  • feeling very tired
  • fast heartbeat
  • headache
  • slow response time
  • muscle pain
  • confusion
  • bruising, bleeding

These are not all the possible side effects of CAR-T cell therapy.
Talk to your doctor if you experience any side effects after infusion.