Key Facts

• What: Carol & Dorothy Bennett Cancer is now offering CAR-T therapy treatment for patients with certain kinds of blood cancer. This is a form of groundbreaking, specialized immunotherapy for cancer patients.
• Where: CAR-T is offered at the Bennett Cancer Center at Stamford Hospital.
• Why it matters: With the introduction of CAR-T therapy, we can bring the best care to our patients at Stamford Health. Patients no longer must spend time or money traveling far away for treatment, and they don’t have to worry about the continuity of care either.

By Kelsey Sokol, MD

For patients with certain kinds of blood cancer, finding the best treatment can lead them far away from home. However, with the addition of a groundbreaking, highly specialized immunotherapy at Stamford Health this fall, patients of our Carol & Dorothy Bennett Cancer Center will receive the most innovative therapy, CAR-T, without the hassle of travelling.

What is CAR-T?

As a hematologist and medical oncologist, my goal is to provide the most effective and innovative comprehensive care for each of my patients. As co-director of the new CAR-T program at Stamford Health, I’m proud that we are the first provider in Fairfield County to offer this specialized immunotherapy.

CAR-T therapy is an individualized cancer treatment that uses a patient’s own reprogrammed T-cells to recognize and attack cancer cells. T-cells are one part of the body’s defense system against foreign antigens or substances. Studies show that CAR-T therapy can provide long-term remissions for hard-to-treat cancers and may even prevent the necessity of other types of oncology treatments.

Which cancers can be treated with CAR-T?

As of now, CAR-T is most effective against certain types of blood cancers including lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma. Its use is expanding and we hope that in the future more patients will benefit from the treatment. Our program will begin treating those with myeloma who match the criteria this fall and then will expand into other cancers.

If a patient qualifies for CAR-T therapy, the process takes three to five weeks, with close monitoring thereafter.

First, we collect T-cells from the patient and send them off to the lab where the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), a lab-created protein receptor engineered to give immune cells the ability to identify cancer cells, is added and multiplied. Once we receive the boosted T-cells back from the lab, there is a one-time outpatient infusion, at which point these T-cells can find and destroy the cancer cells in the patient’s body. From there, we closely monitor the patient for response to treatment and side effects.

What are the side effects to CAR-T?

Two main side effects are cytokine release syndrome (an inflammatory response) and neurotoxicity (neurological damage). Our team is trained to spot any of the symptoms associated with either condition, which may include fevers, confusion, headaches, and seizures. In the beginning after the infusion, patients will visit the cancer center daily so that we are able to act at the first sign of side effects.

With the introduction of CAR-T therapy, we can bring the best care to our patients at Stamford Health. Patients no longer must spend time or money traveling far away for treatment, and they don’t have to worry about the continuity of care either. Patients can stay in the comfort of their home and receive the most innovative treatment – all while collaborating with the nationally renowned Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center oncology specialists. Once CAR-T therapy ends, patients can move directly into their next phase of treatment without waiting for coordination of care.

We expect that CAR-T therapy will expand over time to different indications including solid tumors and autoimmune disorders, so even more of our community can be served right here at Stamford Health.