Early CAR T-Cell Therapy Data Highlight Therapeutic Potential and Emerging Challenges in GI Cancers: With Kohei Shitara, MD

Welcome to OncLive On Air®! I'm your host today, Jax DiEugenio.

OncLive On Air® is a podcast from OncLive®, which provides oncology professionals with the resources and information they need to provide the best patient care. In both digital and print formats, OncLive covers every angle of oncology practice, from new technology to treatment advances to important regulatory decisions.

In today’s episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Kohei Shitara, MD, chief of the Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology at the National Cancer Center Hospital East in Kashiwa, Japan, about optimizing treatment strategies and addressing unmet needs in resectable gastric and gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancers.

In our exclusive interview, Dr Shitara discussed preliminary efficacy data with CAR T-cell therapy in gastrointestinal cancers; highlighted challenges related to durability of response, patient selection, and manufacturing logistics with these therapies; and outlined ongoing biomarker analyses exploring tumor microenvironment factors influencing resistance. He also emphasized the promise of next-generation approaches—including cytokine-enhanced CAR T-cell constructs, dominant-negative TGF-β receptor–armored CAR T cells, and intraperitoneal delivery strategies—to improve outcomes in solid tumors. Looking ahead, Dr Shitara noted that international collaboration and clinical trial participation will be critical to advancing these therapies and potentially establishing their role in the treatment paradigm for gastric and GEJ cancers.

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