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CAR T-cell therapy is a topic many people with lymphoma are curious about! Here's a breakdown of the pros and cons to help with the conversation.
How it works: Doctors take your own T cells, engineer them in a lab to recognize and attack lymphoma cells, then infuse them back into your body.
The Pros
- Can work when other Show Full Answer
The options for Car T is confusing with so many options out there. I am in my initial chemo treatment but am at high risk for recurrence. My doctor said that he has high hopes for Car T cell therapy that covers CD19 and CD22, but few clinical trials are out there …yet. There is even a trial that includes CD19, CD20, and CD22. But that one is still in Stage 1 trials.
There is the Alpha 3 trial, where high risk patients can get a ctDNA test to determine if there are any remnants of lymphoma after treatment. If you test positive, you’d receive a one time treatment that is similar to Car T cell therapy, but I am not entirely sure. Main negative aspect of the trial is there’s only a 50% chance of getting the actual drug.
I am also considering the Signatura ctDNA test to pick up potential recurrence earlier than you’d get with a PET scan. The sensitivity isn’t super-great for the test (it’s about 90%), the testing is rather expensive and insurance often does not cover it. But it’s helped a lot of people get transitioned into a second line therapy faster than they otherwise would have.
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