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False-positive HIV nucleic acid amplification testing during CAR T-cell therapy
Ella J Ariza-Heredia1, Bruno P Granwehr1, George M Viola1
1Department of Infectious Diseases, Infection Control and Employee Health, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX.
Abstract:
Advancements in immunotherapy have opened a new era in oncology, to include genetic modification of human T-cells to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that enables targeted tumor recognition (Kochenderfer et al., 2015; Lee et al., 2015; Maus and Levine 2016; Rosenberg et al., 2008). Herein, we report a false-positive HIV testing in a patient who had undergone CAR T-cell therapy created with a lentiviral vector.
Insights
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, a new cancer treatment, can cause false-positive HIV tests. This occurs due to lentiviral vectors used in CAR T-cell creation, impacting diagnostic accuracy.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunotherapy
- Viral Vector Technology
Background:
- Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy represents a significant advancement in cancer treatment, genetically modifying T-cells for targeted tumor recognition.
- Lentiviral vectors are commonly employed in the creation of CAR T-cells for cancer immunotherapy.
Observation:
- A patient undergoing CAR T-cell therapy exhibited unexpected false-positive results in HIV testing.
- The false-positive results were linked to the lentiviral vector used in the patient's CAR T-cell therapy.
Findings:
- CAR T-cell therapy, specifically when utilizing lentiviral vectors, can interfere with standard HIV diagnostic assays.
- This interference leads to inaccurate HIV test results in patients receiving this type of immunotherapy.
Implications:
- Clinical laboratories and healthcare providers must be aware of potential diagnostic interferences from CAR T-cell therapy.
- Further research is needed to develop or adapt HIV testing methods to ensure accurate results in patients undergoing CAR T-cell therapy.
- This finding highlights the importance of considering patient treatments when interpreting diagnostic tests in oncology and immunotherapy.
