New Strategies in CAR T-Cell Immunotherapy for Patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Investigating the Rise of the Therapeutic Approach

ABSTRACT

Introduction:  Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a hematologic malignancy characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of mutated B- and/or T-cell lymphoblasts, which severely compromises the human body and exhibits high mortality rates. This condition subjects patients to an exhaustive clinical journey, further aggravated by the adverse effects of conventional therapies. In this context, genetically modified T-cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) demonstrate significant efficacy in overcoming the challenges of this aggressive disease.

Objective:  To analyze the clinical implications identified in key studies investigating CAR T-cell therapy for ALL treatment.

Method:  Integrative literature review involving the collection of scientific articles from databases including PubMed, SciELO, Periódicos, Scopus, Web of Science, and J-STAGE, from 2000 onward. Our approach focused on investigating, analyzing, and highlighting the impacts of CAR T-cell therapy on patients with ALL.

Results:  The data demonstrate that, despite challenges posed by adverse effects and tumor resistance, CAR T-cell therapy is a critical therapeutic approach against ALL, showing high rates of remission and overall survival in clinical trials. However, significant limitations persist, including high costs, challenges in ensuring quality control, and elevated recurrence rates, which hinder definitive validation of its efficacy and safety.

Conclusion:  Further research is imperative to optimize CAR T-cell design and identify more precise biomarkers.

Key words:
Receptors; Chimeric Antigen; Immunotherapy; Immunologic Techniques; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Genetic Engineering