CAR T-Cell Therapy at Cincinnati Children’s

Chimeric antigen receptor therapy (CAR T-cell therapy) is a game-changing therapy for patients with relapsed and refractory B-cell blood cancers. Before this advanced therapy, patients didn’t have a curative option when chemotherapy or transplant didn’t work. CAR T-cell therapy makes it easier for T cells to find the cancerous cell hiding in the body, by modifying a patient’s own T cells to identify and attack cancerous cells. And, it has shown the potential to provide long-term remission and even a cure for these patients.

> Learn more about CAR T-cell therapy treatment steps, benefits, risks and recovery.

Who Can Get CAR T-Cell Therapy at Cincinnati Children’s?

CAR T-cell therapy isn’t for every cancer patient. Currently Cincinnati Children’s offers CAR T-cell therapy for B-cell blood cancers through Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved therapies and clinical trials led by our expert physician scientists.

• B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL)
  • For patients up to age 26 during their second relapse or later, Cincinnati Children’s is a certified treatment center for KYMRIAH (tisgenlecleucel).
  • For patients up to the age of 25 with high-risk B-ALL with minimal residual disease at the end of consolidation (which is your second block of chemotherapy), Cincinnati Children’s offers tisgenlecleucel through a clinical trial.
• Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
  • For patients 18 and older, Cincinnati Children’s is a certified treatment center for KYMRIAH (tisgenlecleucel) through our Young Adult Cancer Center.
• B-Cell lymphoma
  • For patients up to the age 25, Cincinnati Children’s offers clinical trials for the use of tisgenlecleucel for refractory and relapse

Why Choose Cincinnati Children’s

Extensive CAR T-cell therapy experience. As part of the initial clinical trial for FDA approval, Cincinnati Children’s is one of the most experienced centers for providing pediatric and young adult CAR T-cell therapy.

Early access to clinical studies. Cincinnati Children’s has many ongoing CAR T-cell therapy clinical trials. Patients can often get the therapy here before it is widely available elsewhere.

Advanced therapies. CAR T-cell therapy is just one of the many advanced therapies available at Cincinnati Children’s for patients with relapsed and refractory leukemia and lymphoma. Our expert team will evaluate each patient’s needs to identify which therapies are most likely to lead to a cure.

Getting you back home and collaboration with referring physicians. Our patients travel from all over the country for advanced cancer care. Our goal is to get our patients back home as quickly as possible. That’s why we work closely with referring physicians to provide a coordinated patient-centered care plan.

Travel help and financial assistance. Our concierge services team is experienced in helping families who travel from outside of our region for care. They can assist with travel details like lodging and transportation. Also, our center is just footsteps from the world’s largest Ronald McDonald House, newly renovated in 2020.