CAR T-Cell Therapy | Key Considerations for Myeloma Patients
CAR T-Cell Therapy | Key Considerations for Myeloma Patients from Patient Empowerment Network on Vimeo.
Myeloma expert and researcher Dr. Beth Faiman shares key considerations when planning for CAR T-cell therapy. Dr. Faiman reviews which patients qualify for CAR T-cell therapy, key aspects for patients to consider, and resources for clinical trials and CAR T-cell therapy information.
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Transcript:
Katherine Banwell:
I’m sure many of our viewers today are wondering who the therapy is right for, and when is it most appropriate in the course of myeloma? Could you address that?
Dr. Beth Faiman:
Yeah, absolutely. So, currently, you have to have had three prior lines of therapy with drugs such as a CD38, which is – daratumumab (Darzalex) is a name of a medication.
You have to have a drug such as lenalidomide (Revlimid) as well as a drug like bortezomib (Velcade). And you have to have had three lines of therapy. So, that’s how you can access the therapy. But if you’re willing to participate in a well-designed clinical trial there are studies with CAR T-cell therapy earlier on.
So, one of the things that we’re advocating in the myeloma world is clinical trials. We haven’t gotten to where we are in 2024 with the advances in sciences, the advances in living longer and living well with myeloma, without the brave people before us that have participated in clinical trials.
So, people who it’s right for would be if they qualify for a clinical trial before their third or fourth line of therapy or if they’ve had three or four prior lines of therapy.
And there are other points to that which I’m sure we’ll talk about later on.
Katherine Banwell:
In your opinion, what are three key considerations that myeloma patients and care partners should think about related to the CAR T-cell therapy approach?
Dr. Beth Faiman:
Well, I would like to say that always when you’re selecting a therapy, think of the physical, the financial, and the social implications of that therapy. So, physically is the medication too strong for you? Are you too weak to take it? Or is it just right for you? So, finding the right medication for the right patient at the right dose at the right time. So, the physical component.
The financial component is also very important. So, maybe your insurance now won’t cover it but then there’s open enrollment in Medicare towards the end of the year or you can find financial support reimbursement through many of our generous organizations that will provide grants for certain medications.
And then, the social. Do you have a care partner, as we discussed? The importance of being monitored for 30 days. If you don’t have a formal care partner, is there some system that we can help support you through so that you can have the different supports throughout. It’s not only that beginning part where you’re gaining the information – and I think of it like a timeline. The beginning part, you’re thinking about gathering information to the – in that process of getting yourselves back because of the side effects, which I think have been talked about in a prior webinar.
And then, the post-monitoring where you go back to your community, taking antibiotics, antiviral medications, etc., to keep you living well longer. So, it’s a process.
Katherine Banwell:
Well, it’s great advice, Dr. Faiman, thank you. I’d also like to add that if you’re considering CAR T-cell therapy, the Patient Empowerment Network has a wealth of information on this topic, including resource guides and interviews with experts like Dr. Faiman. And you can find those at powerfulpatients.org/myeloma.
