CAR T Therapy for Cancer Patients From Naples, FL
Moffitt Cancer Center offers the latest advances in treatment to residents of Naples, Florida, at our location in Tampa. One such treatment is CAR T therapy – a type of immunotherapy that leverages the body’s natural healing processes to attack cancer cells. Moffitt is among a select few cancer centers with oncologists who are certified to administer CAR T therapy.
What is CAR T therapy?
The body’s immune system includes T cells that attack viruses, bacteria and other noncancerous invaders. During CAR T therapy, these cells are genetically modified with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) which reprogram them to seek out and destroy cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed.
CAR T therapy is a one-time procedure. It involves taking a sample of the patient’s blood, which is then processed in a lab and reintroduced to the patient shortly after. To help prepare the body for new cells, patients may undergo a few days of chemotherapy before the cells are infused back into the body.
What types of cancer does CAR T therapy treat?
Most patients who are candidates for CAR T therapy have cancer that affects the blood or bone marrow, such as:
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- Multiple myeloma
- Mantle cell lymphoma
- Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
- Transformed follicular lymphoma
- Primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma
- Follicular lymphoma
CAR T therapy has been effective for many patients who have not responded to more traditional treatments like chemotherapy. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted breakthrough status for CAR T therapy when used as treatment for B-cell lymphoma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia, with additional studies being conducted to discover more about its potential to address other cancers.
Patients who are traveling from Naples, FL, to receive CAR T therapy or other treatments at Moffitt are encouraged to take advantage of reduced rates at our partner hotels located near our cancer center.
If you live in Naples, FL, and would like to consult a Moffitt physician about your treatment options, call 1-888-663-3488 or submit a new patient registration form online.