Born to survive: how cancer cells resist CAR T cell therapy

Although chimeric antigen receptor T cells demonstrated remarkable efficacy in patients with chemo-resistant hematologic malignancies, a significant portion still resist or relapse. This immune evasion may be due to CAR T cells dysfunction, a hostile tumor microenvironment, or resistant cancer cells. Here, we review the intrinsic resistance mechanisms of cancer cells to CAR T cell therapy and potential strategies to circumvent them.

Automated summary

Although chimeric antigen receptor T cells have shown remarkable efficacy in patients with chemo-resistant hematologic malignancies, a significant portion still resist or relapse. This resistance may be attributed to CAR T cell dysfunction, a hostile tumor microenvironment, or resistant cancer cells. In this review, intrinsic resistance mechanisms of cancer cells to CAR T cell therapy and potential strategies to overcome them are discussed.