Advances in Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-Cell Therapies for the Treatment of Primary Brain Tumors

Abstract

Immunotherapy has revolutionized the care of cancer patients. A diverse set of strategies to overcome cancer immunosuppression and enhance the tumor-directed immune response are in clinical use, but have not achieved transformative benefits for brain tumor patients. Adoptive cell therapies, which employ a patient’s own immune cells to generate directed anti-tumor activity, are emerging technologies that hold promise to improve the treatment of primary brain tumors in children and adults. Here, we review recent advances in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for the treatment of aggressive primary brain tumors, including glioblastoma and diffuse midline glioma, H3 K27M-mutant. We highlight current approaches, discuss encouraging investigational data, and describe key challenges in the development and implementation of these types of therapies in the neuro-oncology setting.