CAR-T cell treatments Horizons Infosheet

This Horizons Infosheet provides information on CAR-T cell treatments, a type of treatment being investigated in myeloma.

This Infosheet covers key questions and topics about CAR-T cell treatments including:

• What CAR-T cell treatments are and how they work in myeloma
• The CAR-T cell treatment process
• The possible side effects of CAR-T cell treatments
• How to take part in clinical trials with CAR-T cell treatments
• Availability of CAR-T cell treatments in the UK
• Future research  

Key points you can read about in this Infosheet include:

• CART cell treatments are a new type of myeloma treatment use the body’s own immune system to kill myeloma cells
• Some of your own blood cells, called T cells, are taken out of the blood and modified in a laboratory
• The modified cells, called CAR-T cells, can recognise a protein on the surface of myeloma cells. The CAR-T cells are given back to you through a vein (intravenous)
• Once in the body, the CAR-T cells recognise and attack myeloma cells
• Results of trials with CAR-T cell treatments in myeloma have shown they may be an effective treatment for myeloma, and larger-scale trials are now underway
• Side effects of CAR-T cell treatments can be severe and can include infusion reactions, effects on the nervous system and reductions in blood cells (causing anaemia, increased risk of infections, and bleeding or bruising)
• CAR-T cell treatments for myeloma are not available for use on NHS. However, people may be treated with them as part of a clinical trial
• Currently both anito-cel and cilta-cel are moving through the approval process to determine their potential availability on the NHS in future

CAR-T Cell Horizons Infosheet

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