Cellular Therapy

Bispecific T-cell engager therapy is another form of immunotherapy. Rather than modifying your cells, it helps bring your immune cells into direct contact with cancer cells so they can find and attack the cancer more effectively. Research shows promising results, especially for blood cancers such as lymphoma and multiple myeloma, often with milder side effects. More recently, this therapy was approved for lung cancer.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy uses your own immune cells to recognize and attack cancer. These cells, known as T cells, are the backbone of the immune system and normally lead the charge in killing cancer and other harmful cells.

CAR T-cell therapy separates T cells from your blood and, in a lab, genetically engineers them to include synthetic receptors called chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). These receptors actively search for cancer cells to destroy them.

Currently, there are 7 FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies. Advancements in CAR T-cell therapies are taking place thanks to an increase in clinical trials. Through these trials, healthcare researchers and practitioners hope to better identify cancer cells and fight their defenses. Additionally, trials are underway for non-blood-related cancers including prostate, breast, stomach and colon cancers, as well as trials focused on how to increase efficacy while reducing unwanted side effects.

We all inherit our genes from our biological (birth) parents. Our genes come with a set of instructions (DNA) that determine physical attributes, such as height and eye color, as well as proteins or the building blocks of organs, immune system and more. Some cellular therapies include a form of gene modification, which updates DNA inside a cell to help it work correctly. Gene therapy is also used to treat certain inherited diseases and is being studied for additional conditions.

T-cell receptor (TCR) therapy is a type of cellular therapy that uses your own immune cells to recognize and attack cancer.

Like CAR T-cell therapy, TCR therapy starts by collecting T cells from your blood. These cells are then modified in a specialized laboratory to better recognize cancer cells before being returned to your body through an infusion.

Unlike CAR T-cell therapy, which targets markers on the surface of cancer cells, TCR therapy can recognize certain proteins found inside cancer cells. This may allow TCR therapies to treat some solid tumors that have been difficult to target with other cellular therapies.

Tecelra® (afamitresgene autoleucel) is the first FDA-approved T-cell receptor (TCR) therapy and the first engineered cell therapy approved for a solid tumor. It is used for certain adults with advanced synovial sarcoma who have received prior chemotherapy and require specialized testing to determine eligibility. The treatment uses a patient's own T cells, modified to recognize cancer cells that express a specific target, and then infused back into the body to seek out and attack the cancer.

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy is a form of cellular therapy that uses immune cells already found inside a patient's tumor. TIL therapy enhances the role of these cells in fighting melanoma. Our experts collect cells from the patient’s tumor and send them off to be engineered and multiplied. They are then infused back into the patient, where they recognize, attack and kill cancer cells in the body. These cells are collected from the tumor, multiplied in a laboratory and infused back into the body, where they can continue targeting cancer cells.

TIL therapy is a personalized form of immunotherapy like CAR T-cell therapy – both use a patient’s own cells to fight cancer, but they differ in origin and target. CAR T-cell therapy, used primarily for blood cancers, genetically modifies blood T cells to target specific antigens. TIL therapy is currently approved for certain patients with advanced melanoma and is being studied for other solid tumors.

The University of Kansas Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and consistently recognized among the nation’s 50 best cancer centers as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.

Interdisciplinary care means you will benefit from a comprehensive team of doctors from different specialties, all working for you. Our interdisciplinary teams include expert medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, cellular therapeutic specialists, nurses and physical and occupational therapists who work side-by-side to provide you with the best care.

That means we work with you from the moment you walk through our doors, throughout your diagnosis and treatment and beyond.

Because The University of Kansas Cancer Center is part of an academic medical center, we offer innovative treatments and clinical trials – often long before other hospitals can.

Our board-certified, fellowship-trained physicians provide some of the most advanced and efficient treatments to alleviate pain.