Anti-inflammatory approaches in cancer immunotherapy-induced autoimmunity

Abstract

Cancer immunotherapy, including allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation, infusion of chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells, bispecific antibodies, and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), has revolutionised the treatment of cancer. However, therapy resistance and immune-mediated side effects reduce the overall success. Recent developments in these 2 areas were reported at the 2026 ATT conference. Treatment of immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) using transforming growth factor β (TGFβ)-activated kinase-1 (TAK1)-NF-κB-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway inhibition was shown to be effective in preclinical models. TAK1 inhibition reduced microglia activation and improved neurocognitive function after CAR19 T-cell transfer. This review discusses new developments in the fields of ICANS, graft-vs-host disease (GVHD), and ICI-mediated side effects.