Who is CAR T-cell therapy for?

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Who is CAR T for?

CAR T-cell therapy (CAR T) isn’t for everyone. It’s available for patients with some blood cancers after they’ve tried at least one other treatment. You can work with your doctor to see if or when CAR T might be an option for you.

Illustration of nurse discussing who CAR T is for with patient and caregiver.

Which blood cancers is CAR T available for What types of cancer treatments are there?

Which blood cancers is CAR T available for?

CAR T is currently available to help treat some blood cancers:

CAR T may be available if:

one or more of your treatment(s) did not work, or
your cancer returned

Illustration of doctor discussing blood cancers treatments with patient.

How will my doctor know if CAR T is an option for me?

Your doctor may consider:

the type of blood cancer you have
which treatments you've tried
other things, like your overall health and personal circumstances

Eligibility will be determined by your doctor. Talk to your doctor about what they may take into consideration for you. Some basic guidelines for CAR T are listed below, by type of cancer.

B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)

If you are a patient that has tried at least one treatment and it didn't work or your cancer came back.

B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL)

Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) If you are an adult patient that has tried at least one treatment and it didn't work or your cancer came back.
Follicular Lymphoma (FL) If you are an adult patient that has tried at least two treatments and they didn't work or your cancer came back.
Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) If you are an adult patient that has tried at least one treatment and it didn't work or your cancer came back.

Multiple Myeloma (MM)

If you are an adult patient that has tried at least four treatments and they didn't work or your cancer came back.

What if I don't meet the requirements for CAR T right now?

If you don't meet the requirements right now:

your doctor may recommend other options based on your situation—you may never need CAR T
your doctor may recommend monitoring your health and situation—if your situation changes, you and your doctor may consider CAR T as an option
you may be able to receive CAR T as a part of a clinical trial

As more research is done, CAR T may become available to more patients.

To learn more about treatments that are available for your blood cancer, visit the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), click 'Guidelines for Patients,' and find your blood cancer.

If you're ever unsure, don't be afraid to ask your doctor or get a second opinion.

CAR T is also being studied in clinical trials to see if it can be used in other situations. Some patients may receive CAR T through a clinical trial.

How can I learn more about CAR T clinical trials?

To find out more about CAR T clinical trials, you can:

ask your healthcare team or a medical center offering CAR T about clinical trials
reach out to an advocacy or support group for help understanding and finding clinical trials
visit the National Cancer Institute's Clinical Trials Information page, or search here for "CAR T"

CAR T is being studied in clinical trials to learn more about things like:

whether CAR T can treat more types of cancer and other diseases
whether CAR T can be used as an earlier treatment option
how CAR T works in combination with other cancer treatments
how to better manage potential side effects

Illustration of two researchers discussing clinical trials.

Ask your doctor or a medical center offering CAR T-cell therapy about CAR T or other treatments. Starting the conversation and learning about treatments may help with planning in the future.

What questions might I ask my healthcare team?

Is CAR T right for me?
Are there clinical trials that we should consider?
Who can I talk to if I want a second opinion about my treatment options?

What types of cancer treatments are there?

There are many types of treatment options that could be available to you now, or in the future if you need them. Here are some examples of treatment types that you may hear about from your healthcare team. There may be other types or combinations of treatments as well.