In recent years, significant progress has been made in the field of chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell immunotherapy for the treatment of hematologic malignancies, while its application in solid tumors has proven to be less than optimal. This article provides an introduction to the structure and function of CAR-T cells, encompassing key mechanisms underlying tumor cytotoxicity such as the formation of non-classical immune synapses, cytokine secretion, perforin and granzyme release, the Fas (factor-associated suicide)-FasL (Fas ligand) pathway, and alterations in the components constituting the CAR structure. The features of three CAR cell types are compared, and in light of the challenges associated with CAR-T cell therapy for solid tumors, the article analyzes future research directions for CAR-T cells in the field of cancer immunotherapy.