A man who received chimeric antigen receptor-T cell therapy shares his firsthand account.
Backer received a diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). It is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which affects nearly 75,000 people mostly men in the United States each year.
Despite multiple rounds of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, Backers disease kept relapsing. Then he participated in a clinical trial involving chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy, which has left him cancer-free for almost three years. With this type of immunotherapy, a patients T cells are removed, altered in a lab and then reinfused in the hope that they will attack cancer cells.
Dr. Frederick L. Locke, a medical oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, isco-lead investigator of the pivotal ZUMA-1 trial, which led to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the second available CAR-T cell therapy, Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel). During the National Comprehensive Cancer Network 2019 Annual Conference, Locke, Backer and Alix Beaupierre, a transplant nurse coordinator, took a 360-degree look at CAR-T cell therapy.
LIMITED OPTIONSOutcomes in refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma are poor, Locke explained. Patientsare often treated upfront with combination chemotherapy, as Backer was. He initially wenton a chemotherapy regimen commonly known as R-CHOP Rituxan (rituximab), cyclophospha- mide, Adriamycin (doxorubicin), Oncovin (vincris- tine) and prednisone. He achieved a complete remission and went back to work.
We can cure up to about 60% of patients with initial chemotherapy, and thats pretty remarkable, Locke said. Unfortunately, 40% of patients either dont respond to chemotherapy or progress.
Backer was among that 40%. He relapsed about a year later and started on a new chemotherapy regimen with a planned autologous stem cell transplant, which would involve removing his own stem cells and later putting them back into his body to help fight the cancer. This treatment plan cures only about 5% of patients, Locke said. Prior to CAR-T cell therapy, more chemotherapy would have been next.
In the United States, two CAR-T therapies are available to patients with certain types of cancer. The first, Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel), was approved in August 2017 for patients up to 25 years old who have acute lymphoblastic leukemia that relapsed or did not go into remission with other treatments. Two months later, the FDA approved Yescarta to treat adult patients with certain types of large B-cell lymphoma who have not responded to or relapsed after at least two other kinds of treatment.In patients with DLBCL, durable responses the length of time that a partial or complete response is observed because of treatment have been seen in 40% of patients who received CAR-T cell therapy. We think we can cure about 15% of people, Locke said. We need these patients referred and referred early.
A NUCLEAR BOMBBacker first read about CAR-T cell therapy on clinicaltrials.gov, an online registry of all clinical trials that anyone can access to see what might be enrolling participants. Im the typeof person who needs a plan A and a plan B, Backer said.I received a plan A, but the plan B in the case of the transplant failing was not encouraging.
He reached out to Moffitt Cancer Center Tampa is not far from where he lived in Orlando, Florida to see if he was eligible. He wasnt. In December 2015, Backer went ahead with the stem cell transplant. A few months later,he again relapsed with growths all over his body butthis made his participation in the ZUMA-1 clinical trial possible. Being a participant in a clinical trial is scary and daunting at the same time, he said. I remember sitting there with the transplant coordinator and they handed me a 27-page consent form, and I could barely read page one. Ijust wanted to sign. I was ready to sign anything right then and there.
Although potentially curative, CAR-T cell therapy is not without risk. Patients can develop two serious side effects. Cytokine release syndrome, caused by a large, rapid release of cytokines (small proteins importantin cell signaling) into the blood from immune cells affected by the immunotherapy, can be life-threatening. Neurological events, such as confusion, tremor and seizures, can also occur.
Despite lengthy discussions with his medical teamat Moffitt and reading the consent form, Backer said,he wasnt fully prepared for the coming side effects and recovery when he went forward with CAR-T therapy in June 2016. Thats when the nuclear bomb set off, he said. Within 12 hours of receiving the infusion, he experienced severe chills, violent shaking and a high fever, and also felt certain he was experiencing side effects that were affecting his brain.
About two days after Backer received the reinfusedT cells, the infectious disease team rushed him in for a CT scan. They found no infection and no signs of the cancer.
For me, it was a miracle treatment, Backer said.
Locke has been following patients enrolled in ZUMA-1 for more than two years and said that half are still alive.
BEING PREPAREDBacker admitted that going in with a full understanding of CAR-T cell therapy would have made the experience dramatically different.
After seeing patients and their loved ones in distress, care providers at Moffitt Cancer Center learned to smooth the process, Beaupierre said. For instance, the 27-page document has been broken down into one-page educational handouts and shorter consent forms. The team also created a flow sheet and that grew to a detailed patient calendar. All CAR-T therapy recipients also now have a dedicated nurse and social worker.
In addition to those resources, Backer said, peer-to-peer support would be helpful.
As CAR-T cell therapy continues to evolve and be explored in the treatment of other cancer types, experts are learning more about how it works and how to improve the process.
For Backer, quality of life has changed a bit. Initially, he received blood and platelet transfusions every two weeks for several months following CAR-T cell therapy. Although he is back to work full time, he runs the risk of being exposed to other diseases and viruses. Its always at the back of my mind, he said. I wear a mask and goggles at work but still get sick.
He spends his free time hiking and fishing and feels blessed to still be alive. It worked out for me, and here we are 33 months into this thing, Backer said.
Read the original post:
Walking in His Shoes - Curetoday.com
- Organoids: science fiction or the future of pre-clinical studies? - Lexology - October 13th, 2022
- Researchers develop method to study brain connectivity, functionality - Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report - South Florida Hospital News - October 13th, 2022
- A win for stem cells | Washington Examiner - October 4th, 2022
- TransMedia Group to Illumine Impressive Neuro Healing Results Achieved by Raymond Cralle, a Pioneer in Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and a Florida... - September 16th, 2022
- Sure Signs You Have Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Eat This Not That - Eat This, Not That - August 22nd, 2022
- New treatment changing outlook for those with blood cancers - WBAL TV Baltimore - July 19th, 2022
- Engineering Graduate Fellows Get Hands-on Experience with National Industry Leaders - UCF - July 11th, 2022
- New Alzheimer's Treatment on Horizon as Dementia Reversed for First Time in Dogs - StreetInsider.com - June 22nd, 2022
- Life Cycle of a Moss - Infographic - STEM Lounge - June 13th, 2022
- Miller School Researchers on the Trail to Unraveling Long COVID-19 - Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report - South Florida Hospital News - June 4th, 2022
- American Academy of Stem Cell Physicians is Proud to Add to the Speaker Roster, Dr. Scheffer Tseng, Acclaimed Opthamologist and Founder of Bio-Tissue... - May 15th, 2022
- 'Doctors gave me six months to live in 2016 but I continue to defy every expectation' - Wales Online - May 2nd, 2022
- Revolutionary Oxygen Healing Therapy Now Available in Florida - Digital Journal - March 25th, 2022
- Global Mesenchymal Stem Cells Market Analysis, Opportunities, Trend and Forecast To 2029 Discovery Sports Media - Discovery Sports Media - January 20th, 2022
- EDUCATION SPOTLIGHT: Florida Tech Highlights Work Done During 2021 as We Enter the New Year - SpaceCoastDaily.com - January 5th, 2022
- Roundtable Discussion: Shain Looks at the Role of Transplant Eligibility in Patients With Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma - Targeted Oncology - November 8th, 2021
- ALS and dementia attacked by an RNA-hunting compound that recruits cell's own virus fighter - EurekAlert - October 28th, 2021
- Brainstorm Cell, (BCLI) falls 0.65% in Active Trading on October 25 - Equities.com - October 28th, 2021
- Global Mesenchymal Stem Cells Market Prospects, Upcoming Trends and Competitive Outlook till 2028 | Lonza, Thermo Fisher, Bio-Techne, ATCC,... - October 28th, 2021
- Faster healing of wounds can decrease pain and suffering and save lives - WWNY - October 5th, 2021
- US FDA Approves Kite's Tecartus as the First and Only Car T for Adults With Relapsed or Refractory B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia | DNA RNA and... - October 5th, 2021
- Times really up! FDA authority to crack down on regenerative medicines upheld as grace period ends - JD Supra - July 21st, 2021
- Animal Stem Cell Therapy Market Size, Industry Analysis, Growth Factors, Trends, and Regional Forecast to 2027 - The Courier - March 11th, 2021
- An 8-year-olds search for bone marrow match in battle with leukemia comes to North Texas - The Dallas Morning News - March 11th, 2021
- Eirion Therapeutics, Inc. Closes $40 Million Series A Investment and Licensing Deal with Shanghai Haohai Biological Technology Ltd. - PRNewswire - March 11th, 2021
- How soon will COVID-19 vaccines return life to normal? - Science Magazine - February 16th, 2021
- Keep it Flowing: Combating COVID-19 Blood Shortages in Cancer Treatment - Curetoday.com - February 16th, 2021
- FL Doctors Make Breakthrough Using Stem Cells to Treat ... - February 2nd, 2021
- This Guy Injected His Dick With Stem Cells to Try to Make ... - February 2nd, 2021
- 10 Best Stem Cell Beauty Products On The Market Today - February 2nd, 2021
- HealthLynked's The Future of Healthcare Summit Brings Healthcare Experts and Technology Innovators from Around the World to Naples, Florida -... - February 2nd, 2021
- SpaceX Cargo Dragon Returning To Earth; First U.S. Commercial Cargo Craft To Return From ISS - Science Times - January 8th, 2021
- Buoyed by study, scientists increasingly hopeful first two COVID-19 vaccines effective against new strains - The Boston Globe - January 8th, 2021
- Flavors added to vaping devices damage the heart, vanilla custard the most toxic of all - Study Finds - December 23rd, 2020
- Flavours added to vaping devices can damage the heart: Study - Sify News - December 12th, 2020
- Jabbed for a good cause: Hundreds already getting COVID-19 shots as part of clinical trial - The West Volusia Beacon - August 29th, 2020
- Hesperos demonstrates innovative Human-on-a-Chip approach to modeling innate immune system response following tissue damage and acute inflammation -... - June 8th, 2020
- Hesperos Human-on-a-Chip System Used to Model Preclinical Stages of Alzheimers Disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment - Yahoo Finance - June 4th, 2020
- Can genetics explain the degrees of misery inflicted by the coronavirus? - Genetic Literacy Project - April 21st, 2020
- Beating cancer by taking the unbeaten path | ASU Now: Access, Excellence, Impact - ASU Now - April 9th, 2020
- Reviewing CRYO-CELL International (OTCMKTS:CCEL) and Harsco (OTCMKTS:HSC) - Redmond Register - March 26th, 2020
- Head to Head Analysis: Harsco (NYSE:HSC) & CRYO-CELL International (NYSE:CCEL) - Redmond Register - March 24th, 2020
- Reviewing Harsco (NYSE:HSC) and CRYO-CELL International (NYSE:CCEL) - Redmond Register - March 12th, 2020
- Data On Enlivex's Allocetra-OTS Immunotherapy for Peritoneal Solid Tumors and for Prevention of GvHD Selected for Presentation at the Transplantation... - February 24th, 2020
- Consistent Outcomes Using Ryoncil as First-Line Treatment or Salvage Therapy in 309 Children With Steroid-Refractory Acute GVHD - BioSpace - February 24th, 2020
- NASA to send equipment to International Space Station to research Improving Shoes, Showers, 3D Printing - Clarksville Online - February 24th, 2020
- Here are all the science projects that SpaceX will deliver to the ISS - Digital Trends - February 24th, 2020
- 34 years with a new heart and counting - MDJOnline.com - February 24th, 2020
- 'Florida cold' and the semi-glamorous world of work trips - CT Insider - February 19th, 2020
- 34 Years with a New Heart and Counting | 90.1 FM WABE - WABE 90.1 FM - February 19th, 2020
- Study shows how a tiny and strange marine animal produces unlimited eggs and sperm over its lifetime - National Institutes of Health - February 16th, 2020
- Research - Florida Stem Cell Research - January 3rd, 2020
- Florida Stem Cell Treatment Center - January 3rd, 2020
- Advances In Treatment Of Soft Tissue Injuries (Video) - South Florida Reporter - January 3rd, 2020
- Explained: What is the water crisis Southwest Florida is battling? - Wink News - December 24th, 2019
- Mum shares heartbreaking photo of toddler sobbing through gruelling cancer treatment - The Sun - December 1st, 2019
- World AIDS Day 2019: Theme, History and Facts about HIV and AIDS - Newsweek - December 1st, 2019
- Tulane team researching ways to end opioid addiction - News from Tulane - November 24th, 2019
- Improve global wellbeing with a degree in public health - Study International News - November 12th, 2019
- Fate Therapeutics Announces Six Presentations at the 2019 ASH Annual Meeting - GlobeNewswire - November 12th, 2019
- Reviewing US Stem Cell (OTCMKTS:USRM) and Auxly Cannabis Group (OTCMKTS:CBWTF) - Riverton Roll - November 12th, 2019
- Bloomington Vet Joins Study For Stem Cell Therapy To Treat Dogs With Arthritis - WGLT News - October 24th, 2019
- Brooks Koepka Withdraws in Korea After Reaggravating Knee Injury - Golf Channel - October 24th, 2019
- The Real Problem With Beef - The New York Times - October 2nd, 2019
- Stem Cell Treatment Clinic St. Augustine - Florida Stem Cell - March 17th, 2019
- Stem Cell Questions - Florida Stem Cell - FAQs - February 2nd, 2019
- Stem Cell Procedure for Erectile Dysfunction - January 26th, 2019
- Stuart Florida Stem Cells | NovaGenix - January 18th, 2019
- Stem Cell Hair Treatment for Hair Loss | Stem Cell Hair Growth - January 3rd, 2019
- South Florida Stem Cell Center | Melvin M. Propis, M.D. - December 11th, 2018
- Florida Stem Cell Treatments - Regenerative Orthopedic ... - December 11th, 2018
- Florida - Stem Cells Transplant Institute - July 24th, 2018
- FDA: Florida Stem Cell Clinic Violates Law | Health News ... - October 18th, 2017
- Stem cell research | UF Health, University of Florida Health - October 18th, 2017
- FDA: Serious Problems at Florida Stem Cell Clinic - WebMD - August 29th, 2017
- FDA Cracks Down On Stem-Cell Clinics Selling Unapproved Treatments - KRCB - August 29th, 2017
- US FDA steps up scrutiny of stem cell therapies - Reuters - August 29th, 2017
- Paralyzed After Pool Accident, Student Heads Back To College - News Talk Florida - August 29th, 2017
- SpaceX to Launch NASA Cargo, Try Rocket Landing Today: Watch It Live - Space.com - August 16th, 2017
- Dragon Splashes Down to Complete Resupply Mission - Space Daily - July 7th, 2017