CAR T-Cell Therapy Support | Questions to Ask About the Process
What questions should patients ask when considering CAR T-cell therapy? Nurse practitioner Donna Catamero shares key advice for patients and care partners, available resources, and emphasizes the importance of financial and logistical assistance when accessing treatment.
Donna Catamero is a Nurse Practitioner and associate director of the Multiple Myeloma Clinical Research Program at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Learn more about Donna Catamero.
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Related Resources:
Planning for CAR T-Cell Therapy | Advice for Myeloma Patients |
CAR T-Cell Therapy | Key Considerations for Myeloma Patients |
Transcript:
Katherine Banwell:
When meeting with someone considering CAR T-cell therapy, what are some questions that they should be asking about the process?
Donna Catamero:
So, I think first, “Am I a candidate for CAR T?” Certain comorbidities may put patients at higher risk for complications, or they might need to have additional testing – lung and heart functions – but “Am I a good candidate?”
“Do I have caregiver support?” Again, support network of caregivers for patients, because patients do need to have someone with them during that CAR T process, and “What are the resources available to me receiving CAR T?” Patients live far from CAR T centers. What kind of support that we can provide patients – is it hotel stays, is it transportation – to really get patients to their CAR T therapies?
Katherine Banwell:
Right. There’s the whole financial aspect of therapy that some – it can be a difficult situation for some patients.
Donna Catamero:
We’re very fortunate that both products have patient support services that help patients. They will provide hotel, transportation, food.
So, we are trying to get more patients to the CAR T therapy. So, geographical constraints shouldn’t be a barrier, so we are really helping bridge patients to get to the CAR T centers.
So, to access some of these resources, talk to your healthcare team, social work, but also, again, I empower patients. Go directly to the manufacturer – Johnson & Johnson, Bristol Myers Squibb – you can go directly to their websites and find out more information, but your healthcare team can kind of, again, be a bridge to get patients that support.