The Cardiovascular Complications of Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cell Therapy

Chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy is gaining clinical use in the management of B cell lymphomas. As the use of this unique treatment option increases, its associated toxicities will require recognition and treatment. In this review, we aim to discuss the cardiovascular toxicities of chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy and our approach to their clinical management.

Cardiotoxicity may be due to direct or indirect effects of infused chimeric antigen receptor T cells. The cytokine release syndrome has been described extensively in the literature. Studies have also reported cardiovascular dysfunction including hypotension, left ventricular dysfunction, heart failure, and cardiogenic shock in the setting of cytokine release syndrome. While there are no standardized guidelines for the treatment of cytokine release syndrome or associated cardiotoxicity, we present our current clinical practices. Further research is indicated into the pathophysiology of therapy-associated cardiac dysfunction and effective management strategies to optimize patient outcomes.