UPMC Hillman Cancer Center is the only cancer center in western Pennsylvania offering the latest immune therapy treatment for people with a rare blood cancer.
TECARTUS™ is a new CAR T-cell therapy treatment for adults with relapsed or refractory mantel cell lymphoma (MCL). Hillman is one of only a few cancer centers in the country to offer this treatment.
“We have been leaders in the development of immunotherapy treatments for several decades at Hillman, and it certainly is rewarding for us to be among the top cancer centers in the country to continually offer new advancements for our patients as they become available,” said Robert Ferris, MD, director, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.
CAR T-Cell Therapy for MCL: How It Works
Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that originates in cells of the “mantle zone,” the lymph node’s outer edge. It is an especially aggressive form of cancer for those facing a relapse of the disease.
TECARTUS™ is the first and only CAR T-cell therapy treatment for adults facing MCL. It is only available at select cancer centers throughout the United States, including UPMC.
Hillman was the first in western Pennsylvania to offer FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies, a treatment that uses cells from a patient’s immune system to fight cancer.
In CAR T therapy, doctors extract white blood cells, also called T cells, from a patient. These cells are engineered in a lab to become CAR T cells. When infused back in the patient, CAR T cells can recognize and destroy cancer cells.
Hillman has administered more than 100 CAR T-cell therapies — seven times more than any other institution in western Pennsylvania.