Progress and prospect of ASCT combined with CAR-T therapy in the treatment of multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological cancer characterized by abnormal proliferation of plasma cells in bone marrow. In recent years, autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has become the cornerstone of MM treatment. At the same time, immunotherapy, such as monoclonal antibody therapy and chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) has also emerged, in which CAR-T is the most attractive focus. ASCT and its myeloablative preconditioning will turn its immune microenvironment into an inhibited state, which may provide an opportunity for the expansion of CAR-T cells so as to further clear the residual lesions after ASCT and reduce the recurrence rate after ASCT. Meanwhile, the infusion of CAR-T cells can accelerate the cellular immune reconstruction after ASCT of myeloma, thereby improving the antitumor effect. In order to explore the clinic value, this article reviews the progress and prospect of ASCT combined with CAR-T therapy in the treatment of MM.