The challenges and progress of CAR-T cell therapy in the treatment of solid tumors

Abstract

Current traditional cancer treatment methods include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, etc., which lack targeted killing functions and may damage normal tissues. Immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and personalized medicine have become promising methods for cancer treatment, providing more precise and effective treatment for patients. Among them, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy utilizes the immune system's T cells to recognize and attack tumor cells, showing promising therapeutic prospects. The FDA has approved CAR-T therapy for treating B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, large B-cell lymphoma, and multiple myeloma, targeting CD-19 and B-cell maturation antigens. Despite success in hematologic cancers, CAR-T technology faces challenges in solid tumors, including a lack of reliable tumor-associated antigens, hypoxic cores, immunosuppressive tumor environments, enhanced reactive oxygen species, and decreased T cell infiltration. This review covers the advantages and disadvantages of various immunotherapy methods, highlights CAR-T therapy's evolution, summarizes CAR-T therapy's current status, lists promising therapeutic targets, and emphasizes the challenges CAR-T cell therapy faces.

Keywords: CAR-T cell therapy; Immunotherapy; Limitation; Solid tumor; Tumor-associated antigens.