Vol 15, No 4 (2019)
Review paper
Published online: 2019-08-21
A novel immunotherapy — the history of CAR T-cell therapy
Oncol Clin Pract 2019;15(4):202-207.
Abstract
Robust research over the past 30 years has led recently to the first approval of genetically enhanced T lymphocytes
expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CAR T-cells) as a tool to fight cancer. The backbone of the aforementioned
therapy is to equip patients’ T lymphocytes in a genetically modified receptor that can recognise the
antigen present on the surface of a cancer cell with the accuracy of a specific antibody, and to ignite a cytotoxic
reaction against it with the function of the T-lymphocyte receptor. Ground-breaking results achieved in patients
with haematological malignancies led to multiple clinical trials of CAR T-cell-based therapy in solid tumours. Regardless
of the initial hurdles, recent reports suggest that continuous evolution and further improvements of CAR
T-cell therapy for solid tumours is as successful as that observed in haematology. Despite the fact that enormous
efforts are still to be made, implementation of CAR T-cells into the clinical oncologist’s daily routine practice was
never as plausible as it is today.
Keywords: personalised medicinegenetic modificationsCAR T-cell therapysolid tumourshaematological malignancies
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