CAR T-cell therapy in cancer

Cancer therapy using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T-cells is one of the most exciting recent developments in cancer therapy.  To date CAR-T-cells have been successfully used to treat persons with hematologic cancers, especially acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), lymphomas and plasma cell myeloma (PCM).  Although most studies are in persons with advanced lymphomas, some controversial data suggest CAR-T-cell therapy might replace autologous hematopoietic cell transplants in persons failing conventional therapies.  The CAR-T-cell constructs are directed against lineage-related targets such as CD19 and CD20.  Although studies of using CAR-T-cells to treat other hematologic cancers such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and solid cancers are progressing, these targets have proved more elusive and no CAR-T-cell therapy is yet approved.  In this collection we include key research published in the journals Leukemia, Blood Cancer Journal, Cancer Gene Therapy, Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology and Medical Oncology. The editors welcome future submissions to expand this collection further.