A novel approach to treating cancer is called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. It’s a live medication derived from T cells, which are significant immune system white blood cells. The T cells are altered in a lab and then returned to your body to hunt for and eliminate cancer cells.
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When other therapies have failed, this type of therapy could be effective. Not everyone should use it. Yet for the past few years, T-cell therapy has been used to treat an increasing range of malignancies.
Do I Need CAR T-Cell Therapy?
For patients whose cancer has not improved or has returned after two or more treatments, CAR T-cell therapy may be helpful.
According to David Porter, MD, the Jodi Fisher Horowitz Professor in Leukemia Care Excellence at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, “the majority of these patients have few, if any, effective treatment options available.”
Research indicates that beginning CAR T-cell therapy before attempting two other therapies has advantages.
Director of cell therapy and transplantation at the hospital Porter predicts an increasing number of early applications for these cells.
Treatment of Other Cancers with CAR T-Cells
This is still a very new procedure. Before using it to treat additional forms of cancer or earlier in the disease, doctors need to learn more about it. Through testing it in clinical trials, they gain knowledge on CAR T-cell therapy. These trials test novel medications or therapies on limited patient populations to determine their efficacy.
Research is being done to see if it may be appropriate for other blood malignancies. Other research is attempting to determine whether CAR T-cell treatment might be effective against solid tumors like:
Cancer of the lung
Cancer of the ovaries
Breast cancer
Cancer of the prostate
Cancer of the kidneys and liver
stomach cancer
pancreas cancer
colon cancer
According to Sattva Neelapu, MD, a professor in the Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, “these are still at the very early stages, but a few CAR-T products look promising.”
When Choosing Not to Use CAR T-Cell Therapy
If this kind of therapy is authorized for your age group and your particular kind of cancer, there are no restrictions that would prevent you from receiving it. However, because to its potential for major side effects, it might not be a viable option for those with other health issues, such as chronic renal disease or heart disease.
“We have to evaluate those types of patients on a case-by-case basis to see which ones might qualify,” Neelapu states. To ensure that you are well enough to get this treatment, your doctor will do tests.
For those whose cancer is spreading quickly, CAR T-cell treatment is also not the best option. “Patients with rapidly growing disease don’t seem to do as well and have more side effects,” Porter explains. You cannot wait three or four weeks for the lab to get your T cells ready if you have a rapidly progressing malignancy.
How This Treatment Can Be Tried
“Not every patient responds well to CAR T-cell treatment. However, Porter claims that when it does work, it may function remarkably.
A number of study participants who were given CAR T-cells have maintained remission for over ten years. He claims that not all patients who may benefit from this treatment do so, despite its effectiveness.
You or your kid may be able to explore CAR T-cell therapy before the treatment is approved for your cancer by enrolling in a clinical research. But you must locate the appropriate research.
“There are lots of resources for people who might be interested in looking into clinical trials,” Porter asserts. He lists the clinicaltrials.gov website of the U.S. National Library of Medicine as one of the finest.
Porter also recommends that you request that your medical staff put you in touch with a local CAR T-cell therapy research study. Alternatively, get in touch with a support group like the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
You still need to meet the eligibility requirements if your kind of cancer has a clinical trial. The physicians conducting the research will ensure that you are well enough to receive the medicine.
