Other side effects
Like all medicines, CAR T treatments can cause side effects. The following side effects have been reported in clinical trials and are listed in your patient information booklet. Your healthcare team will talk through the side effects and any concerns you may have.
It is important for you and those around you to be aware of the side effects and what to look out for. Tell your healthcare team if you get any side effects. This includes any possible side effects not listed below.
Do not try to treat your symptoms with other medicines on your own.
Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people)
- Fever or chills
- Decrease in the number of red blood cells (cells that carry oxygen) which may cause you to feel extremely tired with a loss of energy
- Low blood pressure, dizziness
- Feeling sick, constipation, diarrhoea, pain in the stomach or being sick
- Headache, depressed level of consciousness, difficulty in speaking, agitation, shaking
- Decrease in the number of white blood cells, which are important for fighting infections
- Decreased levels of sodium, phosphate, or potassium which will show up on blood tests
- Changes in the rhythm or rate of the heartbeat
- Anxiety
- Decrease in the number of cells that help clot the blood (thrombocytopenia)
- Infections in the blood caused by bacteria, viruses or other types of infection
- Shortness of breath, cough
- Low levels of antibodies called immunoglobulins, which may lead to infections
- High blood pressure
- Swelling in the limbs, fluid around the lungs (pleural effusion)
- Muscle and joint pain, back pain
- Extreme tiredness
- Dehydration
- Decreased appetite, weight loss
- Confusion
- Increased levels of liver enzymes which will show up on blood tests
- Dry mouth
- Low oxygen level in blood
- Pain in the hands or feet
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)
- Difficulty understanding numbers, memory loss, fits, loss of control of body movements
- Failure of the kidneys causing your body to hold onto fluid which can be serious or life threatening
- Fluid in the lungs
- Lung infection
- Sudden, unexpected stopping of the heart (cardiac arrest); this is serious and life-threatening
- Heart failure
- Muscle spasms
- Difficulty to swallow
- Leakage of fluids from blood vessels into surrounding tissue. This can lead to a weight gain and difficulty in breathing
- Decreased levels of calcium which will show up on blood tests
- Infections in the blood caused by fungi
- Decreased levels of albumin which will show up on blood tests
- Skin rash
- Increased levels of bilirubin reporting on how your liver is working, which will show up on blood tests
- Signs and symptoms of blood clots
- Difficulty sleeping
- Hypersensitivity
Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)
- Inflammation and swelling of spinal cord which may cause partial or total paralysis of limbs and torso