[est31]

This destroys all your B-cells in your body, right? That means the B-cells aren't available for normal operation any more, right? I guess it's better to be immuno compromised than dead...

[drocer88]

Yes ( well, maybe not "all" ). For example, Yescarta® is an FDA approved CAR T-cell therapy for patients with refractory b-cell lymphoma. From https://www.gilead.com/-/media/files/pdfs/medicines/other/ye... : "Before you get YESCARTA, you will get 3 days of chemotherapy to prepare your body". This chemotherapay is "lymphodepleting" ( https://www.yescartahcp.com/large-b-cell-lymphoma ). This chemotherapy decreases the number of T cells.

Gilead just reported a 5 year follow up on their therapy : https://www.gilead.com/news-and-press/press-room/press-relea... . " 92% of Patients Alive at Five Years Have Needed No Additional Cancer Treatments; Data Suggestive of a Potential Cure for These Patients "

[doctoring]

Yes. B-cells (normally) make antibodies, so these patients usually receive regular infusions of antibodies by IV (which come from blood donations) to keep their circulating antibody levels up.

[netizen-936824]

That's likely the reason its referred to as "last resort"

Having a working immune system won't do you any good if you're dead

[mft_]

They aren't - that's just journalistic hyperbole, relating to the very first patients.

CAR-Ts are now being tested in much earlier lines of therapy.

[inter_netuser]

They are regenerated in 2-3 months.

[mft_]

CAR-Ts can persist ("engraft") and cause long-term supression of the normal B-cells, and happily the malignant B-cells also.

[inter_netuser]

how common is that?

[spopejoy]

> This destroys all your B-cells in your body, right?

If you have DLBCL/FL, all treatments go after B-cells. CAR-T is just better at doing that and nothing else.