The role of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy in breast cancer.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing preclinical and early-phase clinical studies without systematic review methodology
PubMed 42612349 · doi:10.1016/j.intimp.2026.117280
What was done
This narrative review synthesized preclinical and early-phase clinical evidence on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy for breast cancer, examining targeted antigens, cellular engineering approaches, safety profiles, and biological barriers to efficacy.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical figures or quantitative outcome metrics. Descriptively, early clinical trials show CAR-T therapy is feasible and generally well tolerated, with predominantly low-grade inflammatory toxicities and rare severe neurotoxicities or dose-limiting toxicities. However, therapeutic efficacy remains limited, with stable disease reported as the most frequent outcome and durable objective responses occurring infrequently.
Why it matters
It highlights the current clinical reality of CAR-T therapy in solid tumors: while safety appears manageable, overcoming biological hurdles like antigen heterogeneity and the immunosuppressive microenvironment is essential to achieve meaningful efficacy in breast cancer.
Limits
The paper is a non-systematic narrative review providing no quantitative synthesis or risk-of-bias assessment. Clinical data reviewed are limited to early-phase trials with small sample sizes and predominantly non-durable responses.