The Kansas University Cancer Center is offering CAR T-cell therapy, a breakthrough treatment for blood cancer patients. Dr. Joseph McGuirk, professor of medicine and division director of hematologic malignancies and cellular therapeutics, described the treatment as genetically modifying a patient's T-cells to fight the cancer in their bodies.
This therapy has shown promise in helping people battling certain blood cancers, and it has some upsides compared to traditional treatments like chemotherapy and radiation.
“In multiple myeloma, most of these patients continue treatment for the rest of their life. Either they die from the disease or they cannot tolerate the treatment,” said Dr. Al-Ola Abdallah, the director of plasma cell disorders care at The University of Kansas Health System. “CAR T-cell therapy is a one-time treatment to get you in remission. Imagine you don't have to come to the clinic every week to get any injection or infusion. You can enjoy your life.”
Despite its benefits, many eligible patients do not receive CAR T-cell therapy, which McGuirk attributes to factors such as awareness, accessibility, and the care required after treatment.
McGuirk continues to research the possibilities of CAR T-cells, including how they could be applied to solid tumors and whether T-cells from one person could be used to treat another’s cancer.
- Dr. Joseph McGuirk, professor of medicine and division director of hematologic malignancies and cellular therapeutics at the University of Kansas Cancer Center
- Dr. Al-Ola Abdallah, director of plasma cell disorders care at The University of Kansas Health System
