CAR T-cell therapy is a personalized treatment that uses your own immune system to help treat cancer. T cells are collected from your blood, then carefully modified in a lab to better recognize cancer cells. Those modified cells are then returned to the body to help your immune system find and fight cancer.
How Does CAR T-Cell Therapy Work?
CAR T-cell therapy is a carefully guided process designed around you and your care:
- T cells are collected from the bloodstream through a process called apheresis.
- Those T cells are then engineered in a lab to recognize cancer.
- Then, you will receive chemotherapy before the modified cells are infused back into your body to fight the cancer cells.
CAR T-cell therapy may take place in a hospital or at your oncologist’s clinic. The process typically unfolds over several weeks to allow time for preparation, infusion, and recovery. After your CAR T cells are infused, close monitoring is an important part of care so your team can support you and respond quickly to any changes, which may require hospitalization.
Benefits of CAR T-Cell Therapy
- CAR T-cell therapy may be used when other treatments are no longer effective.
- Some patients see long-lasting remission with this treatment, as the modified CAR T cells continue working overtime to help keep cancer under control.
- This therapy is given as a single infusion, not ongoing treatment cycles.
What Does CAR T-Cell Therapy Treat?
There are seven FDA approved CAR T-cell treatments, including treatments for multiple myeloma and several forms of lymphoma. Clinical trials showed dramatic results in patients with advanced disease.
Currently, CAR T-cell therapy is FDA-approved for patients with the following conditions:
- Multiple myeloma
- B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- Follicular lymphoma
- Large B-cell lymphoma
- Mantle cell lymphoma
- Chronic lymphocytic leukemia / Small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL)
- Marginal zone lymphoma
CAR T-cell therapy may offer new hope for patients when other treatments have not been effective. If you have questions about CAR T-cell therapy or would like more information, reach out to MOHC to learn more.