Applications and prospects of molecularly targeted drugs combined with CAR-T cell therapy to treat multiple myeloma

Abstract

Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapy, a type of precision immunotherapy, has shown promising outcomes in treating certain types of cancers, although limited by the antigen escape, suppression on the tumor microenvironment (TME), and CAR-T cell depletion. Molecularly targeted drugs can enhance the anti-cancer efficacy by targeting key signal transductions against cancers, providing a clue for optimizing the CAR-T cell therapy. Moreover, molecularly targeted drugs synergistically assist CAR-T cells to transform the TME, boost anti-cancer activities and inhibit immune escape. Their combination has rushed into the spotlight of research on individualized treatments for multiple myeloma (MM). In the present review, we described frequently used molecularly targeted drugs in the combination of CAR-T cell therapy against MM.