Collaboration between West Cancer Center and UTHSC Brings CAR T-Cell Therapy to the Mid-South

MEMPHIS, Tenn., Nov. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and young adults with relapsed or refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia now have access to a procedure called chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, abbreviated as CAR-T. A collaboration between the physicians at the UTHSC Blood and Marrow Transplant Center and the clinical research team at West Cancer Center, supported in part by grants from the UT/West Institute for Cancer Research, facilitated approval of this FDA approved immunotherapy cancer treatment that will benefit patients and their families in the Mid-South.

According to Ari VanderWalde, MD, MPH, MBioeth, the Director of Clinical Research at West Cancer Center, "West Cancer Center has worked closely with the Transplant Center to ensure identification and implementation of the processes that ultimately led to this complicated but life-saving therapy to become available here in Memphis. We look forward to working with the Transplant Program to open their first CAR-T cell clinical trial in the near future as well."

"CAR T-cell therapy is a way to use a patient's own immune system to attack and destroy cancer cells. It is a potentially life-saving treatment that is now available here in Memphis. Dr. Yasser Khaled has spear-headed the effort to gain approval of this important new therapy," Dr. Jason Chandler, Apheresis Facility Medical Director, said in a statement.

Lee Schwartzberg, MD, FACP, Executive Director-West Cancer Center stated, "We are proud to have recruited Dr. Khaled to lead the Blood and Marrow Transplant Center and are excited to have Dr. Jason Chandler co-leading these efforts in the future for patients at West Cancer Center."

Bringing this novel cancer treatment to the Mid-South demonstrates West Cancer Center's commitment to work together with community partners and oncology programs across the country for the benefit of our patients and their families.

SOURCE West Cancer Center