Listen to “Exciting Advances in Blood Cancer Medicine Offer Hope and Empowerment to Patients” on Spreaker.
Blood Cancer Awareness Month (September)
What are CAR T Cell Therapies and How Do They Help People with Blood Cancers?
There are 1.5 million Americans living with, or in remission from, a form of blood cancer. Many of these cancers fall into the category of B-cell mediated lymphomas, a type of the disease that starts in B-cells (a type of white blood cell) and often develops in adults older than 60, though can also be diagnosed earlier in life.
B-cell lymphomas can include both fast-growing (aggressive) and slow-growing (indolent) forms, and for those who relapse after initial treatment, or do not respond to initial therapies (refractory), prognosis is poor and there is a profound need for additional effective treatment options.
This September, during Blood Cancer Awareness month, we are thrilled to offer the opportunity to hear from expert Dr. Matthew Lunning, University of Nebraska Medical Center, and Astrid Q., who was diagnosed with lymphoma at the age of 28, and after initially undergoing chemotherapy, experienced a return of her cancer and was then treated with a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy in a clinical trial. Together they can discuss the reality that people face when dealing with relapsed or refractory (R/R) lymphoma and why CAR T cell therapy was the best option for her.
Most importantly, they can provide a deep dive into CAR T cell therapy, an innovative, personalized treatment for certain blood cancers that uses a person’s own immune cells to fight the disease. CAR T cell therapy has been shown to produce results in people living with certain B-cell lymphomas – when other treatments have failed.
Matthew Lunning D.O., FACP, is an Associate Professor in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Lunning also is Associate Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Internal Medicine, Medical Director of the Clinical Research Center (CRC), and Medical Director of Cellular Therapies. He has served on several National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s guidelines committees including the Immunotherapy Toxicity & T-cell lymphoma panels. Dr. Lunning has been active in clinic research, research mentoring, education, and patient care.
About Astrid Q.:
Astrid Q. was diagnosed with lymphoma when she was 28 years old, while in college studying to become a physician’s assistant (PA). Despite initial rounds of chemotherapy, her cancer returned so she enrolled in a clinical trial to receive a CAR T cell therapy. At the time of her clinical trial participation Astrid was studying for the PA exam while receiving and recovering from CAR T cell therapy treatment. Since her one-time* treatment with CAR T, her yearly scans have been clear. Astrid enjoys meditation, spending time with her husband and baby boy, and her job as a PA.
* Treatment process can take approximately 2-3 months and includes leukapheresis, manufacturing, administration, and adverse event monitoring
This interview is sponsored by Bristol Myers Squibb.
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