A new treatment for lymphoma and leukemia is available to Hawaiʻi children and young adults.
The Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy, also known as CAR T-cell therapy, can be life-saving for patients with blood cancer.
The treatment modifies the patient’s immune cells to attack cancer cells.
Clinical trials began in May at the Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women and Children. The clinical trial only used products approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Dr. Stephanie Si Lim, a pediatric hematologist-oncologist at Kapiʻolani Medical Center and an assistant professor at the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center, led the program and introduced the method to Hawaiʻi doctors.
CAR T-cell therapy is especially effective against B-cell malignancies and multiple myeloma.
Further advancements in CAR T-cell therapy can make the treatment effective for other types of cancer including breast and prostate.
