Single-center phase 1 trial of CAR T cells targeting CD19 and GCC in metastatic colorectal cancer

CAR T-cell therapy (CART) has transformed the treatment landscape of hematologic cancer, but has negligible effects for solid cancers. A phase 1 trial at Jilin University (China) evaluated guanylate cyclase-C (GCC19) CART for metastic colorectal carcinoma mCRC. Cytokine release syndrome and diarrhea were seen in most patients, but were self-limiting and manageable. Among 15 included heavily pretreated patients, the objective response rate was 40%. The median overall survival was 22.8 months (95% CI 13.4-26.1). The authors conclude that these results suggest that GCC19CART was safe and tolerable in heavily pretreated patents with mCRC and is the first CART to show objective clinical activity in refractory solid cancer.