As the medical director of the Solid Tumor Cellular Therapy program at Memorial Cancer Institute, Dr. Brian Pico is focused on providing patients treatments that can improve their health and quality of life. A relatively new immunotherapy, Tarlatamab, is doing just that for those with small cell lung cancer. It’s the first treatment of its type approved for the disease, which can be resistant to traditional chemotherapy.
A bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE), the treatment works by infusing an antibody that binds a specific protein on cancer cells and the body’s own immune system (its T cells). By bringing cancer and T cells close together, they help the T cells recognize and destroy the cancer.
“We have one of the largest patient volumes in the state of Florida for Tarlatamab,” said Dr. Pico, a hematologist-oncologist and cancer survivor himself. “That’s a reflection of the extensive expertise we have utilizing immunotherapy and cellular therapy as treatment options.”
