CAR-T Therapy's hidden toll on the brain: new study investigates

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients must be 18 years of age or older * Planned treatment with commercial CD19-specific CAR T cells (axicabtagene ciloleucel, tisagenlecleucel, lisocabtagene maraleucel, or brexacabtagene autoleucel) for lymphoma. * Patients must have adequate end organ function for CAR T cell therapy * Eastern Cooperative Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 to 2 * Meet cardiac, pulmonary, hematologic, hepatic, and renal requirements for CART therapy as described in corresponding product package insert * No evidence of central nervous system disease at study entry * Fluent and able to communicate well enough in English to complete the study assessments and provide informed consent, in the judgment of the consenting professional. o Patients who report that English is not their primary language will be asked the US Census English proficiency question: "How well do you speak English," and the answer "very well" will be required Exclusion Criteria: * Signs and/or symptoms of central nervous system cancer (e.g., metastases, leptomeningeal disease) as determined by their physician, medical records, or by a brain MRI, either at the time of enrollment or during the study period. * Current diagnosis of major Axis I psychiatric disorder (DSM-IV), major depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia, as per medical records or patient report * History of neurodegenerative disease, or traumatic brain injury with loss of consciousness (\>60 minutes), as per medical records or patient report * A history of epilepsy as per medical records or patient report * Current ongoing substance abuse and/or history of substance abuse, as per medical records or patient report * Evidence of visual or auditory impairment that would preclude completion of the assessments, as per medical records or patient report * Contraindications to MRI examinations as per standard screening guidelines used in the Department of Radiology (i.e., ferromagnetic material or implants, pacemakers or defibrillators, stents, claustrophobia)