HOPE IN RESEARCH
Breakthrough Discovery: Immunotherapy Puts Cancer in Remission
Agrowing number of solutions to pressing medical challenges are now available here in the islands. Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy, or CAR T therapy, is an innovative therapy that is effective in curing some of the most difficult to treat cancers. With Dr. Stephanie Si Lim of the UH Cancer Center leading use of CAR T therapy in Hawai‘ i, certain types of cancer can now be put into remission by using a patient’ s own immune cells.
“ In the treatment of cancer, many are familiar with chemotherapy and radiation. CAR T-cell therapy elevates cancer care to an entirely new level. It’ s very different from traditional chemotherapy because it targets cancer cells with more precision,” explained Dr. Si Lim, who also serves as a pediatric hematologist / oncologist at Kapi‘ olani Medical Center for Women and Children and medical director of the cellular immunotherapy program of Hawai‘ i Pacific Health. Hawai‘ i Pacific Health is a partner in the UH Cancer Center’ s Hawai‘ i Cancer Consortium.
“ This treatment allows children and adults from Hawai‘ i and the Pacific to stay near their family and friends while they receive care,” Dr. Si Lim said.“ With our new Ho‘ ōla Early Phase Clinical Research Center opening next year, we hope to introduce more life-saving treatment modalities for patients who may have cancers that are difficult to treat using traditional means. We believe the UH Cancer Center has the potential to offer more FDA-approved treatment options and cutting-edge clinical trials for our community. We’ re excited about what the future holds for Hawai‘ i.”
In May 2023, the UH Cancer Center received approval to infuse CAR T-cell therapy to treat children and adults with recurrent / refractory cancer. In a joint effort, the UH Cancer Center and Hawai‘ i Pacific Health treated the first patient with aggressive lymphoma on August 2023, and the patient went into remission after just one month.
Building the cellular immunotherapy program took a lot of hard work, but ultimately it will allow for increased access to novel therapies for patients with aggressive diseases. CAR T therapy is now offered to children and adults with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.
Stephanie Si Lim, MD, MBA, and a patient with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, at
Kapi‘ olani Medical Center for Women & Children
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