The Basics of CAR T-Cell Therapy
- CAR T-cell therapy is FDA-approved to treat relapsed multiple myeloma.
- This treatment changes your own immune cells so they can find and treat your cancer.
- In one study, CAR T-cell therapy partly or totally shrank tumors in 72% of patients.
- Only a handful of cancer centers in the United States currently offer this therapy, but you may be able to get it in a clinical trial.
The search has been on for other ways to manage relapsed multiple myeloma. In March 2021, the FDA approved a new type of immunotherapy for multiple myeloma that hasn't improved with treatment, or that has come back after at least four different treatments. It's called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.
What is CAR T-Cell Therapy?
Read MoreIdecabtagene vicleucel (Abecma) is the CAR T-cell therapy that's approved for relapsed multiple myeloma. In one study, this treatment partially or totally shrank tumors in 72% of patients. The effects lasted for an average of 11 months.
The Trouble With CAR-T
CAR T-cell therapy is effective. That’s the good news. The bad news is this treatment is still so new that it can be hard to get.
"The truth about CAR T right now for myeloma is that there are a handful of centers throughout the nation that have it," Krisstina Gowin, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, tells SurvivorNet. "There are only a limited amount of slots available, and those slots are given out in parcels."
In other words, people who want to try this treatment face long waitlists to get it.
Consider a Clinical Trial
If your doctor tells you that you're a good candidate for CAR T-cell therapy, Dr. Gowin recommends checking many different cancer centers to see if they have it. Get on the list.
Don't only look at the FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapy. Also consider newer treatments that haven't yet been approved, but are in clinical trials, Dr. Gowin says. "If you cannot get CAR T commercially at this time, I think there are many opportunities for clinical trial participation."
RELATED: Why Are Clinical Trials for Multiple Myeloma So Important?
You don't have to wait until you've tried and failed at several treatments to start thinking about a clinical trial. You can enroll in one of these studies even sooner.
"I think what we’re going to see over time is that CAR T is going to move up…earlier in the disease course," Dr. Gowin says. Researchers are testing out this treatment in recently diagnosed multiple myeloma, and in people who have relapsed.
Ask your doctor if you're a good candidate for a clinical trial of CAR T-cell therapy. You can also do a search of open studies on ClinicalTrials.Gov. Before you enroll in any study, make sure you understand what the treatment can and can't do for you. Also find out what side effects it might cause.
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