C(h)AR-ting a new course in incurable lymphomas: CAR T cells for mantle cell and follicular lymphomas

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy targeting CD19 has transformed the natural history of relapsed and refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Based on these results, CD19 CAR T cells have since been tested in largely incurable lymphomas, including mantle cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, and marginal zone lymphoma, with promising early results that raise the question of whether this cellular immunotherapy could have curative potential and change the natural history of these diseases. This article reviews these results and this hypothesis.