How can we improve the successful identification of patients suitable for CAR-T cell therapy?

INTRODUCTION: In recent years, chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy has resulted in a breakthrough in the treatment of patients with refractory or relapsed hematological malignancies. However, the identification of patients suitable for CAR-T cell therapy needs to be improved.

AREAS COVERED: CAR-T cell therapy has demonstrated excellent efficacy in hematological malignancies; however, views on determining when to apply CAR-T cells in terms of the evaluation of patient characteristics remain controversial.

EXPERT OPINION: We reviewed the current feasibility and challenges of CAR-T cell therapy in the most common hematological malignancies and classified them according to the disease type and treatment priority, to guide clinicians and researchers in applying and investigating CAR-T cells furtherly.