Context: 

A new development in systemic therapy i.e. CAR T Cell therapy has gotten the attention of many researchers worldwide.

Treatment of cancer: 

• Surgery (removing the cancer)
• Radiotherapy (delivering ionizing radiation to the tumor)
• Systemic therapy (administering medicines that act on the tumor).

Evolution of systemic therapy:

• Chemotherapy: Systemic therapy’s earliest form was chemotherapy; when administered, it preferentially acts on cancer cells because of the latter’s rapid, unregulated growth and poor healing mechanisms.
• Immunotherapy: In immunotherapy, the drugs bind to specific targets on the cancer or on the immune cells that help the tumor grow or spread.

What are CAR T-cells?

• Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T ­cell therapies represent a quantum leap in the sophistication of cancer treatment.

• Unlike chemotherapy or immunotherapy, which require mass produced injectable or oral medication, CAR T Cell therapies use a patient’s own cells. 

• They are modified in the laboratory to activate T Cells, a component of immune cells, to attack tumors.

•  These modified cells are then infused back into the patient’s bloodstream after conditioning them to multiply more effectively.

• The cells are even more specific than targeted agents and directly activate the patient’s immune system against cancer, making the treatment more clinically effective. This is why they’re called ‘living drugs’.

 Applications:

• Leukemia: CAR T-cell therapy has been approved by the US FDA for the treatment of certain types of leukemia, including B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).
• Lymphoma: CAR T-cell therapy is also being studied as a treatment for other types of lymphoma, including Hodgkin’s lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma.
• Solid Tumors: The potential use of CAR T-cell therapy for solid tumors, such as ovarian, breast, and pancreatic cancer, is also under investigation.

Impacts:

• The potential side­ effects are also significant, associated with cytokine release syndrome (a widespread activation of the immune system and collateral damage to the body’s normal cells) and neurological symptoms (severe confusion, seizures, and speech impairment).                                                                                                                   

News Source: The Hindu