Cancer is complex, and today, it’s no longer solely defined by location or even by stage. Instead, we’re diagnosing and treating each person’s individual cancer down to the cellular level.
That makes cell therapy the next frontier – and it’s already available at the OSUCCC – James.
The experts from our Cellular Therapy Program now routinely use FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies to treat patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma and aggressive follicular lymphoma.
This approach has revolutionized care – and it’s going to change the way cancer is cured worldwide. The cell therapy we use harnesses a patient’s immune system, expanding it and unleashing it to fight back against cancer. Because we’re teaching the body how to defeat cancer on its own by boosting the power of immune cells, it can lead to better outcomes, faster response times and fewer side effects for many people with the disease.
In many cases, this innovative cell therapy is being used as a first-line treatment at the OSUCCC – James, often serving as a more effective, less harsh option than more traditional approaches, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
What is cellular therapy?
Cell therapy works by improving the immune system’s ability to identify and target disease.
The immune system works by finding and destroying anything it sees as a harmful invader, including viruses, bacteria and even cancer. Here’s how it works:
- A certain type of immune cell, called a T-cell, looks for specific proteins known as antigens on the surface of impacted cells.
- T-cells have their own proteins, called receptors.
- Each antigen has a matching receptor – kind of like a lock and key. When there’s a fit, the immune cell locks onto the compromised cell and sends out a signal to the rest of the immune system to do its job.
Cancer cells have their own specific antigens, but if your immune cells lack matching receptors, they can’t bind to the cancer cells and target them for destruction. Depending on the type of cancer, different cellular therapies may be used, including CAR T-cells, other genetically modified T-cells, tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), vaccines and natural killer (NK) cells.
Transforming individualized treatment
We fit the treatment to the patient, and no two care plans are the same at the OSUCCC – James.
Based on a comprehensive analysis of a patient’s cancer, we can pinpoint the antigens being produced, as well as the matching receptors that may be missing. Armed with this information, we can then recommend next steps, which may include CAR T-cell therapy.
Because we develop treatment for each patient at such a precise level, cellular therapies can prove remarkably effective, and many cancer patients have complete remission in only a few months.
Accreditations
The OSUCCC – James Cellular Therapy Program is accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT). This leading regulatory institution governs many hospitals and organizations involved in hematology, blood and marrow transplant, blood banks and cellular therapy.
As part of this accreditation, the Cellular Therapy Program is required to report quality metrics to the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other groups.
Referrals and appointments
The OSUCCC – James medical experts include world-renowned cancer specialists, subspecialists and super subspecialists in cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment.
To make an appointment (or as a provider, refer a patient), please call The James Line at 614-293-5066 or 800-293-5066.
Specialized cell therapy coordinators are also available to answer questions at 614-685-4940.