A Case of Fulminant Cerebral Edema Leading to Death After Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy

Abstract

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has transformed treatment of refractory B-cell malignancies; however, treatment puts patients at risk for side effects secondary to the amplified immune response it induces. Fulminant cerebral edema (FCE) is one of the rarest, yet most devastating side effects following CAR T-cell therapy. Due to this rarity, FCE has not been well characterized and the risk factors associated with its development are not fully understood. Here, we present a case of a 42-year-old male who passed away from FCE following CAR T-cell infusion with the primary goal to better understand which patients are at higher risk of developing FCE before and after infusion.