A Concise Review of Neurologic Complications Associated with Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell Immunotherapy

Chimeric antigen receptor–engineered T (CAR-T) cell immunotherapy has been successful in treating many types of hematological malignancies. CAR-T therapy, however, has been associated with toxicities, including cytokine release syndrome (CRS) as well as immune effector cell–associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). ICANS presentation is variable, largely reversible, and manifests with encephalopathy and focal neurologic deficits. Treatment strategies largely are supportive. ICANS pathophysiology likely is related to that of CRS. Preclinical studies and clinical experience have shed light on the driving forces of ICANS and have yielded new strategies to mitigate ICANS occurrence.