What if the cells that cancer affects could be trained to fight back? This is the core of cellular immunotherapy at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Cells are taken from your body and multiplied in a lab. Sometimes they are also re-engineered to help the cells better fight cancer. The boosted cells are then returned to your body. Now they are better able to spot cancer cells that were once hidden and attack them. Our treatments include chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, T-cell receptor (TCR) modified cells and tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) cell therapy.
David G. Maloney, MD, PhD and Medical Director of the Bezos Family Immunotherapy Clinic talks about CAR T-cell therapy at Fred Hutch.
CAR T-cell therapy is a game changer in the field of cellular immunotherapy. This innovative therapy engineers a patient’s own T cells to zero in on enemy cancer cells. The rebooted T cells can even help the immune system “remember” these cancer cells, which may offer long-lasting protection against cancer returning — even after the treatment is completed.
In addition to offering FDA-approved therapies, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center offers cellular immunotherapy clinical trials to individuals with different diseases. These clinical trials may include Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, T-cell receptor (TCR) therapy or Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocyte (TIL) therapy.
CAR T-cell therapy is where your T cells are modified in the lab so that they make a type of protein known as CAR before they are grown and given back to you. CAR stands for chimeric antigen receptor. CARs are designed to allow the T cells to attach to specific proteins on the surface of the cancer cells, improving their ability to attack the cancer cells.
TCR is similar to CAR T-cell therapy, but instead of attaching to specific proteins on the surface of the cancer cells, TCRs can recognize tumor specific proteins on the inside of the cells.
Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TIL) are T cells that can be found in your tumor. During TIL therapy, TILs are collected or “harvested” from your tumor and treated with substances that make them grow to large numbers quickly. The cells are given to you and used to target and kill cancer cells.
The FDA has approved six cellular immunotherapies for patients with hematologic malignancies. These are:
Fred Hutch is one of the first centers in the nation to offer all six, due to the extensive experience of our physicians and nurses in developing and delivering this complex, groundbreaking therapy.
These CAR T-cell therapies are FDA approved therapies available only at authorized treatment centers such as Fred Hutch. This type of immunotherapy uses engineered T cells to harness the power of a patient’s own immune system to treat certain types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), such as LBCL and MCL, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), as well as multiple myeloma.
These CAR T-cell therapies are different from other cancer medicines because they are made from the patient’s own white blood cells, which have been modified to recognize and attack the patient’s cancer cells.
Axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel), also known by the brand name Yescarta®, is an FDA-approved treatment for aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
This therapy is available at Fred Hutch for:
Tisagenlecleucel, also known by the brand name Kymriah®, is an FDA-approved treatment for individuals with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
This therapy is available at Fred Hutch for:
Brexucabtagene autoleucel, also known by the brand name Tecartus™, is an FDA-approved treatment for adults with relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and adults with relapsed or refractory B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
This therapy is available at Fred Hutch for:
Lisocabtagene maraleucel, also known by the brand name Breyanzi®, is an FDA-approved treatment for adults with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma ( LBCL).
This therapy is available at Fred Hutch for:
Idecabtagene vicleucel, also known by the brand name Abecma®, is an FDA-approved treatment for adults with multiple myeloma.
This therapy is available at Fred Hutch for:
Ciltacabtagene autoleucel, also known by the brand name Carvykti™, is an FDA-approved treatment for adults with multiple myeloma.
This therapy is available at Fred Hutch for:
These therapies are available for a certain population of cancer patients. However, patients at Fred Hutch also have access to many different therapies, including other CAR T-cell therapies in clinical trials. Talk with our care team to learn more.
Right now, the FDA has approved CAR T-cell therapy for adult patients with certain types of lymphoma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and multiple myeloma that hasn’t responded to other forms of treatment. Clinical trials of different CAR T-cell therapies for a variety of cancers are underway at Fred Hutch, as we are pioneers in this new form of cancer treatment.
Health insurers are preparing their coverage policies for these new FDA-approved treatments. In the meantime, coverage will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, which is typical when new therapies are first approved. At Fred Hutch, we will do everything we can to seek health insurance coverage for clinically eligible patients.
Fred Hutch is a global CAR T-cell therapy leader, home to groundbreaking science and advanced immunotherapy. Over 200 patients have been part of our CAR T-cell clinical trials — one of the largest groups for a single institution. As both a research and cancer care center, we provide the therapies of tomorrow, today.
This expertise is the foundation for our Bezos Family Immunotherapy Clinic. Opened in October 2016, it is the first of its kind: a center dedicated to cellular immunotherapy, where Fred Hutch can offer more clinical trials and the newest therapies. Our specialized patient care coordinators at the Bezos Family Immunotherapy Clinic at Fred Hutch can provide more information.
In addition to the Bezos Family Immunotherapy Clinic, cellular immunotherapy patients can also be seen in the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program by immunotherapy experts.
Contact the clinic specialized patient care coordinator at 866.268.6129.
Learn more about the Bezos Family Immunotherapy Clinic.
If you received immunotherapy treatment from Fred Hutch and have questions related to your treatment that your local physician can’t answer, our Long-Term Follow-Up (LTFU) program is here to help. Our physicians will work with you and your local team to care for you. We will also gather information from you to help us prevent and treat any long-term effects of immunotherapy.