Cellular immunotherapy
What if the cells that cancer affects could be trained to fight back? This is the core of cellular immunotherapy at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA). T cells — your immune system’s anti-infection troops — are taken from your body and multiplied in a lab. Sometimes they are also re-engineered to help the cells better fight cancer. The boosted cells are then returned to your body. Now better able to spot cancer cells that were once hidden, these T cells have the power to attack cancer.
CAR T-cell therapy
CAR T-cell therapy is a game changer in the field of cellular immunotherapy. This innovative therapy engineers a patient’s own T cells to zero in on enemy cancer cells. The rebooted T cells can even help the immune system “remember” these cancer cells, which may offer long-lasting protection against cancer returning — even after the treatment is completed.
How CAR T-cell therapy works

CAR T-cell therapy begins with the collection of the patient’s T cells, a type of white blood cell.

The cells are engineered to become cancer-fighting cells, called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells.

The CAR T cells are grown in the lab until there are millions to infuse back into the patient.

Once infused into the patient, the CAR T cells are now able to recognize and destroy cancer cells.
FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies
The FDA has approved two cellular immunotherapies for patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma and acute lymphoblastic leukemia: tisagenlecleucel, known by the brand name Kymriah®, and axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel), known by the brand name Yescarta®. A third product, brexucabtagene autoleucel, known by the brand name Tecartus™, was recently approved to treat patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). SCCA is one of the first centers in the nation to offer all three, due to the extensive experience of our physicians and nurses in developing and delivering this complex, groundbreaking therapy.
Bezos Family Immunotherapy Clinic
SCCA is a global CAR T-cell therapy leader, home to groundbreaking science and advanced immunotherapy. Over 200 patients have been part of our CAR T-cell clinical trials — one of the largest groups for a single institution. As both a research and cancer care center, we provide the therapies of tomorrow, today.
This expertise is the foundation for our Bezos Family Immunotherapy Clinic. Opened in December 2016, it is the first of its kind: a center dedicated to cellular immunotherapy, where SCCA can offer more clinical trials and the newest therapies. Our specialized patient care coordinators at the Bezos Family Immunotherapy Clinic at SCCA can provide more information.
Long-term follow-up
If you received immunotherapy treatment from the Bezos Family Immunotherapy Clinic and have questions related to your treatment that your local doctor can’t answer, our Long-Term Follow-Up (LTFU) program is here to help. Our doctors will work with you and your local team to care for you. We will also gather information from you to help us prevent and treat any long-term effects of immunotherapy.
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