Myeloma Care Partners | Advice for Approaching the CAR T-Cell Therapy Process
How can care partners best prepare for supporting their loved one during the CAR T-cell therapy process? Dr. Adriana Rossi, a myeloma specialist, reviews who is typically on a CAR T-cell therapy healthcare team and walks through proactive steps care partners can take to advocate for their loved one.
Dr. Adriana Rossi is Director of the CAR T and stem cell transplant program at the Center for Excellence for Multiple Myeloma at Mount Sinai Health System in New York City. Learn more about Dr. Rossi.
See More from The Care Partner Toolkit: CAR T-Cell Therapy
Related Resources:
The CAR T-Cell Therapy Process | How Care Partners Play a Role in Each Step |
Which Myeloma CAR T Support Resources Care Partners Lean On? |
An Essential CAR T-Cell Therapy Team Member | The Care Partner |
Transcript:
Jamie Forward:
So, who are the other members of the CAR T-cell therapy healthcare team?
Dr. Adriana Rossi:
Yeah. It’s really important to recognize just how big that team is. We always have the CAR T physician. That one’s easy. A physician is usually supported by nurse practitioners or physician assistants and nurses that are part of again, getting all of the appointments organized. In all of this, we tend to have CAR T coordinators. Both to make sure the paperwork and the insurance side of things are done. The clinical appointments. But, it’s also important to recognize, as we were talking about, coordination. Transportation. Sometimes, patients need to stay close to a center that’s far from home.
So, social work and all of those folks become very important. And then, there are a number of different steps with different drugs. So, our pharmacists are very important. And then, beyond that, any of the other doctors that keep our patients optimized. So, if there’s a cardiologist, a pulmonologist, an endocrinologist. All of those physicians working together.
Jamie Forward:
As you’re preparing for the CAR T process and you’re meeting with patients and their care partners, what sort of advice do you give them about the process as you’re setting the stage?
Dr. Adriana Rossi:
Yeah. I think it’s very important to ask questions and never think there’s a bad question, or a stupid question, or whatever. There are no limits. I know this is a completely new language, and I think it’s important even if you’ve asked it before, keep asking until it’s clear.
And, don’t ever think you’re bothering us or anything. I’ve heard that, and it just doesn’t compute on our end. We are here to teach and support. Secondly, to take time. I think it’s really important to not think, “Oh, I’ll do this, and then I’ll run off and do something else, and then I’ll come back.” Or, have other commitments. Really allow both the patient and the caregiver protected time to be together and to just go through everything that this journey requires. And, for the caregivers to look after themselves. I think it’s really important when you’re trying to take care of someone who has the label of patient, you need to take care of yourself, as well so that you can then be of use to the process.
