Educating Multidisciplinary Care Teams, Patients, and Caregivers on CAR T-Cell Therapy

Two anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies are approved for adults with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma after more than two lines of therapy. Although CAR T-cell therapy has demonstrated significant efficacy for some patients, the treatment process can be long and complex and each phase is associated with unique challenges. Care for patients receiving CAR T-cell therapy also involves many health-care players, including physicians, advanced practitioners, nurse coordinators, nurse educators, apheresis nurses, inpatient and outpatient nurses, cellular therapy technologists, case managers, social workers, and many more. Dedicated educational efforts for patients, caregivers, and clinical providers that make up the multidisciplinary care team are warranted for optimal treatment. Here we present an overview of key elements for education along the treatment journey with CAR T-cell therapy, including considerations for each stage of therapy and specific recommendations for care teams, patients, and caregivers. We also present examples of educational programs that have been implemented at our institution.