CAR-T Cell Therapy
CAR-T cell therapy is a personalized cellular immunotherapy that re-engineers a patient's own T-cells in the laboratory to recognize and attack cancer cells. It is used for certain relapsed or refractory blood cancers, including some B-cell lymphomas, B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and multiple myeloma, and is delivered as an inpatient treatment with close monitoring.
Medically reviewed by the Florence Healthcare medical team · Last reviewed June 2026
Overview
CAR-T cell therapy uses the patient's own immune cells to fight cancer. T-cells are first collected from the blood and sent to a specialized laboratory, where they are genetically engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) — a protein that targets a specific marker found on cancer cells. The modified cells are then multiplied into millions and infused back into the patient, where they seek out and destroy cells carrying that marker. It is used for certain relapsed or refractory blood cancers, such as some B-cell lymphomas, B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and multiple myeloma, and is delivered by the cellular-therapy and bone marrow transplant team with close monitoring throughout.
International patients are supported by a dedicated coordinator from the first enquiry. Our specialists can review your medical records and pathology remotely to give a second opinion on whether CAR-T is appropriate before you travel, and you receive a transparent, itemized cost estimate in advance so there are no surprises.
Who is a candidate?
- Patients with certain B-cell lymphomas that have relapsed or not responded to previous treatment
- Patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia that is relapsed or refractory after prior therapy
- Patients with multiple myeloma that has progressed after several earlier lines of treatment
- People whose cancer carries the specific marker that the CAR-T cells are designed to target
- Patients with adequate heart, lung, kidney and liver function to undergo the therapy safely
- People well enough to complete cell collection, brief preparatory chemotherapy and an inpatient monitoring stay
What happens
- 1
Preparation & cell collection
After eligibility is confirmed, your T-cells are collected from your blood in a procedure called leukapheresis and sent to the laboratory, where they are genetically engineered to express the CAR and multiplied. While the cells are being prepared, you receive a short course of lymphodepleting chemotherapy to make room for the new cells to work.
- 2
Infusion
Your engineered CAR-T cells are returned to you through a vein in a single infusion, similar to a blood transfusion. The infusion itself is usually short, and you remain in the cellular-therapy unit so the team can watch closely for any early reaction.
- 3
Recovery & monitoring
You stay in the hospital for close inpatient monitoring so the team can detect and manage side effects such as cytokine release syndrome and neurological effects early. After discharge you remain nearby for scheduled reviews, and your coordinator arranges a clear follow-up plan that can continue with your doctors at home.
Benefits
- A personalized, living therapy made from your own cells to target your specific cancer
- A potential treatment option when standard chemotherapy or other therapies have stopped working
- Usually given as a single infusion rather than repeated, ongoing cycles of treatment
- Delivered by an experienced cellular-therapy and bone marrow transplant team with close monitoring
- Supported throughout by intensive inpatient care to detect and manage side effects promptly
Risks & considerations
- Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) — a common immune reaction that causes fever and can range from mild to, less often, severe or life-threatening, with low blood pressure and breathing difficulty. This is why you are cared for as an inpatient: the team watches for it continuously and treats it early with specific medications and, if needed, intensive support
- Neurological effects such as confusion, headache, tremor or difficulty speaking. These are usually temporary and most often mild, but can occasionally be more serious — for example marked confusion or, rarely, seizures — so the team checks for them several times a day and treats them promptly
- Increased risk of infection and low blood counts in the weeks after treatment, requiring monitoring and supportive care
- Because CRS and neurological effects can sometimes begin in the days after the infusion, including after you leave the hospital, you and the person staying with you are given clear instructions to seek medical care straight away if you develop a fever, chills, confusion, difficulty speaking, dizziness or trouble breathing
- Not every patient responds, and the cancer can return; suitability and likely benefit are assessed for each individual
Conditions this treats
Where it is performed
This procedure is performed by our Comprehensive Transplant Center.
Learn more before you decide
Provider-reviewed guides on the related conditions, symptoms and tests in our Health Library.
CAR-T Cell Therapy — frequently asked questions
It is a cellular immunotherapy that uses your own immune cells. T-cells are collected from your blood, genetically engineered in a laboratory to recognize a marker on your cancer cells, multiplied, and then infused back to seek out and destroy those cells. It is used for certain relapsed or refractory blood cancers.
CRS is one of the most common side effects of CAR-T. As the cells activate and attack the cancer, the immune system can release substances that cause fever, low blood pressure or breathing difficulty. Because you are monitored in an inpatient unit, the team can detect it early and treat it with specific medications and supportive care, including intensive care support if it becomes severe.
CAR-T is given as an inpatient cellular therapy because the period after infusion requires close, continuous monitoring for side effects such as CRS and neurological effects. A planned admission of roughly one to two weeks lets the team respond immediately, and you stay nearby for scheduled reviews afterward.
Yes. Before you make any travel plans, our cellular-therapy specialists can review your medical records, pathology and prior treatment history remotely and give a second opinion on whether CAR-T is appropriate for you, so you can decide with confidence.
Because CAR-T is highly individual, we provide a transparent, itemized estimate after reviewing your case rather than a fixed online price. Your coordinator sets out the costs clearly before you travel so you know what is included with no surprises.
After discharge, contact your care team or seek urgent medical care immediately for fever, chills, confusion, difficulty speaking, severe headache, dizziness, breathing difficulty, weakness or any sudden change in alertness. These symptoms can signal cytokine release syndrome, neurological side effects or infection, and early treatment is important even if the symptoms seem mild at first.
A dedicated coordinator supports you from your first enquiry through travel, treatment and discharge — helping with scheduling, communication with the team and a follow-up plan that can continue with your own doctors after you return home.
Related treatments
Considering car-t cell therapy?
Share your reports for a medical second opinion and a transparent, itemized cost estimate — usually within 48 hours.