ASCO ® American Society of Clinical Oncology
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CAR T-cell therapy, which is a type of adoptive cell immunotherapy, is custom-made for each patient from their own white blood cells. First, the patient's T cells are collected from their blood. Then an artificial gene for a specific receptor is inserted into these cells in a laboratory. These modified cells are called CAR T cells. After the CAR T cells multiply in the lab, they are injected into the patient. The receptors on the CAR T cells help them find and destroy cancer cells throughout the patient's body.
In 2017 the FDA approved two CAR T-cell therapies for use in different cancers, and there are more CAR T-cell therapies that appear very promising for additional cancers.
Unlike most cancer treatments, CAR T-cell therapy typically needs to be given only once because CAR T cells multiply in the patient's body, with their anti-cancer effects persisting and even increasing over time.
In 2018, the American Society of Clinical Oncology named CAR T-cell therapy the Advance of the Year.
ASCO ® American Society of Clinical Oncology
2018 Advance of the Year: CAR T-Cell Therapy