Identifying and Managing Delayed Adverse Events Associated With CAR T-Cell Therapy
Source: Current and Emerging CAR T-Cell Therapies in Cancer Care
Caron A. Jacobson, MD
Released: August 5, 2021
Although CAR T‑cell therapies can offer significantly improved outcomes for many patients with high‑risk leukemias, lymphomas, and myelomas who lack other treatment options, these products can be associated with a unique spectrum of toxicities that physicians and nurses must be adept at managing. The most worrisome adverse events of CAR T‑cell therapy—cytokine-release syndrome and neurologic toxicity—tend to occur in the first 1‑4 weeks following infusion. This is typically when the patient is still in close proximity to the CAR T‑cell treatment center and able to seek care from experienced physicians and hospital staff. But, as patients transition from their CAR T‑cell treatment center back to their local and community oncology clinic, there are notable potential delayed adverse events that their oncologists need to keep in mind.