Long-term neurocognitive effects of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy: Integrating assessments into nursing practice

Can Oncol Nurs J. 2024 Jul 1;34(3):293-303. doi: 10.5737/23688076343293. eCollection 2024 Summer.
[Article in English, French]

Abstract

Chimeric antigen receptor t-cell (CAR-T) therapy is a newly evolving therapy with well-known acute neurotoxic effects. While the long-term neurotoxic effects of this therapy are under-researched, they exist in subsets of the post-treatment population. Nurses can focus on assessments before and after CAR-T therapy to determine the degree to which these neurotoxic effects progress. These assessments include subjective and objective tools, as well as an understanding of risk factors associated with a higher degree of adverse cognitive events. By utilizing current research, hematological nurses can advocate for this unmet need to be monitored and intervened upon to improve patient outcomes.

Keywords: chimeric antigen receptor therapy; neurotoxic effects; nursing assessments.