About CAR T-Cell Therapy
CAR T-cell therapy is a new way to fight cancer. It is a kind of immunotherapy. Immunotherapies use your own immune system to attack cancer cells.
Your body has special cells called T-cells. These cells normally fight germs and diseases. But in people with cancer, T-cells don’t recognize that cancer cells are dangerous.
CAR T-cell therapy fixes this problem. It changes your T-cells so they can find and destroy cancer cells. Many patients who get this treatment stay cancer-free for a long time. This is called remission. Remission is different from a cure. Patients who are in remission are monitored carefully by their team of experts, so they continue to live high-quality, happy lives.
Our Siteman care coordinators – oncology-trained nurses who help with scheduling, finding the right specialist, and guidance – can help you through the process.
Call us directly or submit a form, and we will call you back.
Why Choose Siteman
When you choose Siteman, you get care from experts who are leading the way in CAR T-cell therapy.
Experience you can trust
Siteman Cancer Center was one of the first hospitals in the country allowed to give CAR T-cell therapy. In 2017, we were one of only 16 hospitals the FDA chose to use the therapy. Our doctors and scientists helped turn the idea of CAR T-cell therapy into a real treatment. We led clinical trials that helped it become standard of care for patients today. Our doctors have spent years developing with this treatment and our teams have more experience than experts at almost any other hospital in the country. They know how to use it safely and help patients get the best results.
Faster treatments
CAR T-cell therapy uses your cells to create a treatment just for you. That takes time. At most hospitals, your cells are collected and then shipped to a facility for the CAR process. That can take several weeks from collection until your treatment begins.
But at Siteman, we want patients to receive care faster. We have our own lab to create CAR-T cells on the WashU Medicine campus. It’s the only one like it in Missouri and means our patients get cutting-edge care in less time. Sometimes our patients have their CAR T-cell infusion eight days.
Research & breakthroughs that help you
The doctors treating you at Siteman are also researchers. We call these WashU Medicine experts “physician-researchers.” They’re always looking for ways to make CAR T-cell therapy better. Here are some exciting things happening at Siteman:
Universal CAR T-cells: Scientists are creating CAR T-cells that could work for any patient. You wouldn’t have to wait for your own cells to be collected and changed. Treatment could start right away.
More cancer types: Right now, CAR T-cell therapy is part of the standard of care for blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. But Siteman is testing it in other cancers.
New types of T-cells: Doctors are creating different kinds of CAR T-cells that attack cancer in new ways. They’re also working on TCR T-cells, which are being tested for lung cancer and sarcomas (a type of bone or soft tissue cancer).
The FDA has approved many CAR T-cell therapies. These new therapies were carefully studied and researched in clinical trials. Right now, there are therapies for different cancer types including blood cancers like multiple myeloma, lymphoma, and leukemia. Clinical trials keep researching new kinds of cancer to treat with CAR T-cell therapy.
How CAR T-Cell Therapy Works
T-cells are white blood cells that protect your body. They find and kill germs and bad cells. But many cancers can hide from the immune system. T-cells can’t tell that cancer cells are harmful.
CAR T-cell therapy changes this. Doctors add a special molecule called CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) to your T-cells. This molecule acts like a tracking device. It helps T-cells stick to cancer cells and destroy them.
Clinical trials are research studies that help us find new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer. If you have a rare or complex diagnosis or your treatment path seems uncertain, you might qualify for a clinical trial.
Our team will help you find a study that is right for you. Call us to speak with a Siteman care coordinator.
What Happens During Treatment
CAR T-cell therapy has three main steps:
1.) Collecting your T-cells
A machine filters T-cells from your blood. This is called pheresis. It doesn’t hurt and takes a few hours. You might feel a little dizzy or sick to your stomach, but most people feel fine. Trained nurses will watch you the whole time.
2.) Changing your T-cells
Your T-cells go to a lab. Scientists add the CAR molecule to them. This process lasts several weeks. When they’re ready, the new CAR T-cells come back to Siteman.
3.) Getting your T-cells back
You’ll come to the hospital for this treatment. The CAR T-cells go back into your body through an IV. This only takes a short time. You’ll stay in the hospital for a few days so doctors can watch you. When it’s safe, you can go home.
Possible Side Effects
CAR T-cell therapy can cause a condition called cytokine release syndrome. This happens when the new T-cells wake up (activate) your immune system, which causes swelling in your body.
You might get a high fever. Your blood pressure might go up or down quickly. In some cases, you may need to have oxygen. Physicians will want you to share any new symptoms with them. Even if they seem minor, you need to call your team.
Our physicians at Siteman are very good at treating cytokine release syndrome. They have medicines that can stop the symptoms. Almost all patients who get this side effect recover completely.
