Center to Host CAR-T Cell Therapy Clinical Trials
October 8, 2020 – The Moffitt Malignant Hematology and Cellular Therapy program, established in partnership with Memorial Healthcare System in 2017, has created a multiple myeloma institute at Memorial Hospital West in Pembroke Pines. The new specialization has added oncologists to treat those with cancer in their bone marrow and will conduct research to benefit newly-diagnosed and relapsed blood cancer patients. The myeloma institute is the only one of its kind in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
“We’re always looking to provide our community the most innovative and highest quality healthcare available anywhere,” said Memorial Hospital West CEO Leah Carpenter, “and this advancement with our partners at Moffitt does that for cancer patients.”
One immediate area of focus is an immunotherapy clinical trial that will provide additional treatment options to patients with multiple myeloma, a disease where cancerous cells form within plasma cells of bone marrow. Called CAR-T cell therapy, it’s administered like a blood transfusion and involves genetically altering the T cells so they produce synthetic molecules called chimeric antigen receptors, or CARs, which enable them to recognize and attach to a certain protein in tumor cells and kill them.
“We see 70-80 new multiple myeloma cases each year and more than 300 with relapse disease so, while not every patient will be a CAR-T candidate, we’re hoping many more will be as the trial progresses,” said Dr. Claudia Paba Prada, an assistant member of Moffitt Cancer Center’s Malignant Hematology and Cellular Therapy at Memorial Healthcare System. “We’re using drugs under research that aren’t available anywhere else in Florida.”
There isn’t a cure for multiple myeloma, but immunotherapy, which harnesses the strength of the patient’s own immune system to fight cancer cells, can be used to get an individual to a stem-cell transplant or maintain quality of life for those who aren’t transplant candidates. It can be used instead of or to supplement chemotherapy and is usually less toxic to the body.
Moffitt expects to begin treating leukemia and lymphoma patients with FDA-approved CAR-T cell therapies at Memorial Hospital West in the coming year.
About Moffitt Cancer Center
Moffitt is dedicated to one lifesaving mission: to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer. The Tampa-based facility is one of only 49 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt’s excellence in research, clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Moffitt is listed as one of the top 10 cancer hospitals in the nation and has been listed in U.S. News & World Report as one of the “Best Hospitals” for cancer care since 1999. Moffitt devotes more than 2 million square feet to research and patient care. Moffitt’s expert nursing staff is recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center with Magnet® status, its highest distinction. With more than 5,600 team members, Moffitt has an economic impact in the state of $2.1 billion. For more information, call 1-888-MOFFITT (1-888-663-3488), visit MOFFITT.org, and follow the momentum on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
About Memorial Healthcare System
Memorial Healthcare System is one of the largest public healthcare systems in the U.S. and a national leader in quality care and patient satisfaction. It is highly regarded for a patient and family-centered approach at facilities that include Memorial Regional Hospital, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Memorial Regional Hospital South, Memorial Hospital West, Memorial Hospital Miramar, Memorial Hospital Pembroke, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Health Specialty Center in Wellington, and Memorial Manor nursing home.
Among the many awards and recognition it has earned are Modern Healthcare magazine’s “Best Place to Work in Healthcare,” Florida Trend’s “Florida’s Best Companies to Work For,” and Becker’s Hospital Review’s “150 Great Places to Work in Healthcare.” In a recent report (“Humanizing Brand Experience”), the Denver-based consulting firm Monigle named Memorial the top health system brand in America, based on consumer surveys.
