Next gen immunotherapies, such as CAR T cells, have well and truly revolutionised cancer treatment and cure. However, in modifying the immune system (in this case- lymphodepletion with CD19- targeted CAR T cell therapy) there is a potential for altering risk of infection. In this months edition of Blood, Hill et al, retrospectively reviewed the incidence of infections following CD19 CAR T cell therapy in n=133 patients. Key findings include: a risk of infection similar to conventional chemotherapy and that modification of the treatment regimen, specifically- to reduce Cytokine Release Syndrome severity, decreased the frequency of infections.
With the explosion of next gen immunotherapies in cancer treatment we are excited to see more studies of this nature.