Two new papers from teams at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center provide the most comprehensive data yet reported on side effects of the emerging cancer immunotherapy strategy known as CAR T-cell therapy.

Based on their data from 133 adult participants in one clinical trial, the researchers identified potential biomarkers associated with the development of the toxic effects, known as cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity. They also created algorithms aimed at identifying the rare patients whose symptoms were most likely to turn life-threatening.

The researchers anticipate that their work could eventually help doctors reduce the risk of the severe side effects and occasional deaths, which have been seen in clinical trials of various CAR T-cell products. They said that their findings will need to be tested and improved upon by further study, and they noted that their results arise from a clinical trial of one particular CAR T-cell product, which is made by and at Fred Hutch.

Read the full article about cancer immunotherapies from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center