Open AccessImproving and Maintaining Responses in Pediatric B–Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Chimeric Antigen Receptor–T Cell Therapy
Author(s) -
Rahul Arya,
David M. Barrett,
Stephan A. Grupp,
J. Joseph Melenhorst
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the cancer journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.825
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1540-336X
pISSN - 1528-9117
DOI - 10.1097/ppo.0000000000000513
Subject(s) - chimeric antigen receptor , immunotherapy , medicine , immunology , antigen , lymphoblastic leukemia , cell therapy , leukemia , cancer research , t cell , cell , immune system , biology , genetics
Chimeric antigen receptor T therapy has heralded a new era in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and other hematologic malignancies. In this autologous immunotherapy, patient-derived T cells are genetically engineered and then infused back to kill the leukemia cells. The observed response rates in ALL are a testament to the success of this therapy. However, there have been instances where the patients either did not respond or relapsed after initial response. Emergence of resistance due to antigen loss and T-cell exhaustion has been observed. This poses a challenge in making this therapy successful for every ALL patient and warrants deeper understanding of emergence of resistance and potential approaches to overcome them. Here we discuss current perspectives and advances in this area.