Current modalities of cellular immunotherapy: pros and cons
| Clinical indications | Disadvantages needed to be improved | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAR-T-cell therapy | 1. | This therapy elicits rapid and high response in refractory cases | 1. | This therapy has non-durable efficacy |
| 2. | CAR-T therapy may be an effective way to induce remission and serve as a “bridge to transplant” | 2. | Suitable targets as effective as CD19 in non-B-cell malignancies are lacking | |
| 3. | Toxicity is unavoidable and unpredictable | |||
| NK cell-based therapy | 1. | NK cells provide an “off-the-shelf” product and could be readily available for immediate clinical use | 1. | The efficacy of adoptively transferred allogeneic NK cell infusion is relatively limited |
| 2. | NK cell-based therapy could be applied in refractory, MRD positive, or remission cases in non- transplant settings, and could complement HSCT | 2. | CAR-modified NK cell therapy is largely in the preclinical phase | |
| Allo-HSCT | This therapy is currently the only curative option for hematologic malignancy | 1. | There is a certain incidence of transplant related mortality | |
| 2. | GvHD might affect quality of life | |||