CAR T Cell Therapy in Pancreaticobiliary Cancers: a Focused Review of Clinical Data

Objective CAR T cell therapy is an innovative approach to treat cancers in the modern era. It utilizes the application of chimeric antigen receptors targeted against specific antigens expressed by the tumor cells. Although its efficacy is established in hematological malignancies, the safety and efficacy of this therapy in solid tumors, especially pancreaticobiliary cancers, is a highly investigated aspect. A focused review of clinical data was conducted to examine the outcomes of this therapy in pancreaticobiliary cancers. Methods A comprehensive literature search was done on Medline and Embase databases through April 24, 2020 for studies that evaluated the outcomes of CAR T cell therapy in pancreaticobiliary cancers. Results There were six phase 1 trials, while one was phase 1/2. Some of these trials were specifically done for pancreaticobiliary cancers, while others included patients of various solid organ cancers, including pancreatic and biliary tract cancers. The target antigens for therapy in these trials included mesothelin, CD133, prostate stem cell antigen, claudin 18.2, epidermal growth factor receptor, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2. CAR T cell therapy has shown very few grade 3 and 4 side effects. Most of the adverse events are associated with cytokine release syndrome. Conclusion CAR T cell therapy has a manageable safety profile based on phase 1 studies, and efficacy assessments are currently ongoing in dose expansion and phase 2 studies.