Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has achieved great success in recent years, with encouraging complete remission rate and long-term durability of response, especially in advanced B-cell malignancies. With the approval of tisagenlecleucel and axi-cel by FDA to treat refractory/relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, our understanding of CAR T cells has been progressing rapidly. In this review, we discussed the designs of CAR T cells, factors affecting response, adverse effects, as well as application beyond B-cell malignancies.
Keywords: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR); acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL); cytokine release syndrome (CRS); neurologic toxicity; non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).