CAR T-Cell Therapy Approved by FDA, Moves From Trial to Treatment

A promising therapy for people with recurring non-Hodgkin lymphoma and pediatric/young adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is now available for commercial use at Nebraska Medicine.

Nebraska Medicine (nebraskamed.com), which has a nationally recognized lymphoma program, has been involved from the ground floor in developing this therapy and is now able to offer it on a large scale. It was one of the first centers in the Midwest that provided chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy through clinical trials. The therapy is part of growing treatment options in cancer that harness the body’s own immune system to attack a tumor.

Treatment for newly diagnosed non-Hodgkin lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients typically starts with chemotherapy. The relapse rate for first time treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma is 30 percent and 40 percent for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The majority of these patients will then go on to receive a blood or bone marrow transplant, of which about half of patients will relapse. Patients who relapse after the transplant or are not candidates for a transplant may be potential candidates for CAR T-cell therapy.

All Nebraska Medicine staff involved in the therapy have had to undergo and pass a training program before Nebraska Medicine could be approved to administer the treatment. Nebraska Medicine (nebraskamed.com) is the only health care network in Nebraska to offer CAR T-cell therapy.

To find out if you’re a candidate for this new therapy, please call (402) 559-5600 to schedule an evaluation.