T lymphocytes as therapeutic arsenal for patients with hematological malignancies

We present an overview of the clinically available immunotherapeutic platforms centered on T cell lymphocytes for the treatment of hematological malignancies with a special focus on the advances achieved since 2017.

The most promising strategies of T cell therapies are based on the infusion of unmanipulated donor lymphocytes, antigen-specific T cells, ex-vivo genetically modified T cells or in-vivo manipulation of T cells using antibodies (bispecific and checkpoint inhibitors). To select the most appropriate option for a specific patient, is important to understand not only each platform-specific biological mechanisms, clinical activity and toxicities but also their intrinsic differences. In this extremely fast-growing field, to keep track of recent advances is a hard and challenging task for a hematologist. Therefore, we aimed to provide a global integrative review of T-cell-based immunotherapies, essential to ascertain their optimal place and timing in our daily clinical practice.

We highlight recent advances and discuss future directions of T-cell-based immunotherapies entering the common clinical practice in hematology.