Serial monitoring of cytokine profile, liver function, and hematological biomarkers in severe CRS and CLS following CAR-T cell therapy for relapsed hepatocellular carcinoma: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Liver cancer is the sixth most common malignancy and the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. In recent years, chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy has demonstrated great potential and promising prospects in cancer treatment. However, CAR-T cell infusion is associated with various severe side effects. There is a paucity of reports describing serial monitoring of laboratory biomarkers in complications.

CASE PRESENTATION: Here we report a patient with relapsed hepatocellular carcinoma who developed grade-3 cytokine-release syndrome and moderate capillary-leak syndrome after infusion of CAR-T cells. Following CAR-T infusion, the serum cytokine profile and liver enzyme levels were significantly elevated, accompanied by pancytopenia and coagulopathy.

CONCLUSION: After CAR-T-cell administration, laboratory parameters should be closely monitored and complications such as CRS and CLS managed promptly and effectively, which will improve the safety of CAR-T therapy.