Treatment Overview

CAR T Cell Therapy is a type of immunotherapy where a patient’s own immune cells (T cells) are modified by adding a special receptor (CAR) to their surface. This gives T cells the ability to better target and help kill cancer cells since the CAR recognizes a marker found on certain cancer cells, as well as on some healthy cells.

CAR T therapy requires several steps that typically occur over 1–2 months but is infused in one day.

Bispecific Antibodies are a therapy that brings together two different cells – one being the unhealthy cell and the other being an immune cell. This allows the immune cell to come in close contact with the unhealthy cell and become activated to fight it.

Bispecific antibodies are typically administered by injection or through an IV and are given until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs) combine an antibody, a protein that helps the immune system identify harmful substances, that can attach to specific cells with a cytotoxic drug (similar to chemotherapy). In this way, the ADC can target and kill certain unhealthy cells like cancer.

ADCs are typically administered through an IV and are given until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.

Radiation Therapy uses high-energy particles or rays that can be focused on specific area(s) of the body to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. The most common type of radiation therapy uses direct beams that are pointed at the main sites of the cancer, but some healthy cells in the path of the beam may also be injured.

There are different types of radiation therapy, and most require treatment 5 days a week for 2–4 weeks.

Chemotherapy is a type of cancer therapy that uses drugs to attack rapidly-growing cells like cancer. Unfortunately, healthy fast-growing cells, like skin cells and organs of the gastrointestinal system, such as your stomach, can also be attacked and the marrow may be caused to make fewer blood cells.

There are many different types of chemotherapy; some can be taken by mouth as a pill while some are injected under the skin or through an IV.

Stem Cell Transplant (SCT) is where a patient’s bone marrow, the factory for both healthy and unhealthy red blood cells, infection fighting white blood cells, and platelets, is depleted with either chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Then, new healthy stem cells, from the bone marrow of either the patient themselves or a donor, are given to the patient.

SCT requires several steps, but the transplant infusion occurs in one day. In certain instances, patients may require more than one transplant throughout the course of their disease.