CAR T and Bispecifics Reshape Blood Cancer Treatment

T-cell–based immunotherapies have transformed the treatment landscape across several hematologic malignancies, with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies and bispecific T-cell engagers now playing an increasingly important role. In an interview, Krish Patel, MD, executive director of hematologic cancer research at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, discusses the advances he considers among the most impactful developments in blood cancer treatment in recent years.

Patel highlights how both CAR T-cell therapy and bispecific T-cell engagers have evolved from primarily later-line treatment options into therapies being investigated and used earlier in the treatment course across multiple disease states. This shift has changed how clinicians approach treatment sequencing and expanded the potential role of T-cell–based therapies for patients with hematologic cancers.

Patel also addresses an important distinction between these approaches: access. Although CAR T-cell therapy has become an established treatment platform, he notes that logistical and geographic barriers can make it difficult for some patients to receive these therapies. The need to travel to specialized treatment centers and the infrastructure required to administer CAR T-cell therapy can limit its availability for patients receiving care outside major academic centers.

By comparison, bispecific T-cell engagers have helped extend T-cell–based immunotherapy into more community-based treatment settings, potentially allowing a broader population of patients to benefit from this therapeutic approach closer to home. Patel discusses how this expanded reach could be particularly relevant as these therapies continue moving into earlier lines of treatment.