Dissecting factors influencing response to CAR T cell therapy in B lymphoid hematologic malignancies: from basic to practice.

Over the past recent years, CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR T) cell has transformed the treatment of relapsed/refractory (R/R) B lymphoid hematologic malignancy. CAR T cell therapy elicits an excellent anti-tumor effect and extends long-term disease-free remission in these difficult-to-treat patients. Notwithstanding, despite the impressive anti-tumor efficacy, some patients fail to attain clinical response or relapse after extended follow-up. The success of CAR T cell therapy involves complex interplays between host, tumor, and CAR T cell-associated arrays. Researchers have extensively explored potential predictive biomarkers for response to CAR T cell therapy. Ability to identify clinical and biological factors associated with improved response will help determine appropriate patients for CAR T cell treatment and enhance the clinical outcome of this novel therapeutic approach.