CAR T-Cell Therapy: A Promising New Approach to Relapsed Multiple Myeloma
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/ Updated February 11th, 2022

CAR T-Cell Therapy: A Promising New Approach to Relapsed Multiple Myeloma

Medically Reviewed: Dr. Brandon Blue Written by Stephanie Watson
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The Basics of CAR T-Cell Therapy

  • CAR T-cell therapy is FDA-approved to treat relapsed multiple myeloma.
  • This treatment changes your own immune cells so they can find and treat your cancer.
  • In one study, CAR T-cell therapy partly or totally shrank tumors in 72% of patients.
  • Only a handful of cancer centers in the United States currently offer this therapy, but you may be able to get it in a clinical trial.
Many treatments are effective against multiple myeloma. The trouble is, they often work for only a few months and then stop. And they can cause a lot of side effects.

The search has been on for other ways to manage relapsed multiple myeloma. In March 2021, the FDA approved a new type of immunotherapy for multiple myeloma that hasn't improved with treatment, or that has come back after at least four different treatments. It's called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.

What is CAR T-Cell Therapy?

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T cells are a type of immune cell. They attack foreign substances like germs or cancer in the body.

CAR T-cell therapy takes your own T cells and changes them in a lab so they’ll find and destroy myeloma cells. The altered T cells target a protein on the surface of cancer cells called BCMA (B-cell maturation antigen).

RELATED: A Guide to Developing a Multiple Myeloma Treatment Plan

Idecabtagene vicleucel (Abecma) is the CAR T-cell therapy that's approved for relapsed multiple myeloma. In one study, this treatment partially or totally shrank tumors in 72% of patients. The effects lasted for an average of 11 months.

The Trouble With CAR-T

CAR T-cell therapy is effective. That’s the good news. The bad news is this treatment is still so new that it can be hard to get.

"The truth about CAR T right now for myeloma is that there are a handful of centers throughout the nation that have it," Krisstina Gowin, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, tells SurvivorNet. "There are only a limited amount of slots available, and those slots are given out in parcels."

In other words, people who want to try this treatment face long waitlists to get it.

Consider a Clinical Trial

If your doctor tells you that you're a good candidate for CAR T-cell therapy, Dr. Gowin recommends checking many different cancer centers to see if they have it. Get on the list.

Don't only look at the FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapy. Also consider newer treatments that haven't yet been approved, but are in clinical trials, Dr. Gowin says. "If you cannot get CAR T commercially at this time, I think there are many opportunities for clinical trial participation."

RELATED: Why Are Clinical Trials for Multiple Myeloma So Important?

You don't have to wait until you've tried and failed at several treatments to start thinking about a clinical trial. You can enroll in one of these studies even sooner.

"I think what we’re going to see over time is that CAR T is going to move up…earlier in the disease course," Dr. Gowin says. Researchers are testing out this treatment in recently diagnosed multiple myeloma, and in people who have relapsed.

Ask your doctor if you're a good candidate for a clinical trial of CAR T-cell therapy. You can also do a search of open studies on ClinicalTrials.Gov. Before you enroll in any study, make sure you understand what the treatment can and can't do for you. Also find out what side effects it might cause.

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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Patient Pathfinder

We’re here to help. Have you had any treatment for myeloma yet?

You might want to check out some top experts outlining the initial treatment for myeloma.

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Multiple Myeloma Initial Treatment

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Got it. Are you looking for maintenance treatment?

You might want to check out some top experts outlining maintenance treatment for myeloma.

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Ok. Has your Myeloma come back? Here are some useful resources:

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Multiple Myeloma Reoccurrence Treatment

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If you’ve had at least four treatments that have not worked or stopped working you might be a candidate for a treatment called CAR T Therapy.

Here’s the link:


CAR-T Therapy for Multiple Myeloma

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