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The neurotoxic legacy of CAR-T cells: where do we stand?
Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders · 2026
Auteurs
Pagliuca S, Jacquet C, Rubio MT, Sorrentino P
Les auteurs en lien sont membres de l'INS.
Équipes
Résumé
Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy has transformed outcomes for relapsed/refractory B-cell malignancies and is increasingly reshaping the therapeutic landscape of autoimmune disorders and solid tumors, offering curative potential where options were previously limited. Its broader deployment is, however, constrained by immune-mediated toxicities, chiefly cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). ICANS spans a heterogeneous spectrum from mild aphasia and tremor to seizures, cerebral edema, coma, and death, and remains difficult to predict prospectively. As CAR-T platforms expand beyond CD19 malignancies, neurotoxicity phenotypes are also broadening beyond classical ICANS. In plasma cell dyscrasias, BCMA-directed CAR-T has been associated with delayed non-ICANS neurotoxicities, including movement and neurocognitive/behavioral symptoms, cranial nerve palsies, and peripheral neuropathic presentations. In parallel, early experiences with CAR-T and related immune effector therapies in autoimmune and neuroimmunologic diseases suggest distinct inflammatory contexts and potentially different neurotoxicity patterns, under
Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy has transformed outcomes for relapsed/refractory B-cell malignancies and is increasingly reshaping the therapeutic landscape of autoimmune disorders and solid tumors, offering curative potential where options were previously limited. Its broader deployment is, however, constrained by immune-mediated toxicities, chiefly cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). ICANS spans a heterogeneous spectrum from mild aphasia and tremor to seizures, cerebral edema, coma, and death, and remains difficult to predict prospectively. As CAR-T platforms expand beyond CD19 malignancies, neurotoxicity phenotypes are also broadening beyond classical ICANS. In plasma cell dyscrasias, BCMA-directed CAR-T has been associated with delayed non-ICANS neurotoxicities, including movement and neurocognitive/behavioral symptoms, cranial nerve palsies, and peripheral neuropathic presentations. In parallel, early experiences with CAR-T and related immune effector therapies in autoimmune and neuroimmunologic diseases suggest distinct inflammatory contexts and potentially different neurotoxicity patterns, under