The Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program was founded in 2013. Starting with autologous stem cell transplants, the program then transitioned to include related donor allogeneic stem cell transplants in 2014. In 2017, we became accredited with the Foundation for Accreditation of Cellular Therapy for autologous, allogeneic and immune effector cell therapy.
Our team of specialists provide compassionate care to the patient, their family and their support system. This program provides services for matched, mismatched related and unrelated donors, cord blood and haplo-identical transplants.
Cellular therapy is a treatment that promotes healing by using healthy living cells to repair or replace damaged cells in the body. Cellular therapies include stem cell transplantation and adoptive cell therapies such as CAR T-cell therapy and tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy.
What cancers or other diseases does Banner MD Anderson treat?
Banner MD Anderson's Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Center treats a wide variety of cancers, hematologic diseases, and autoimmune disorders. These diseases include:
Our advanced cell processing laboratory is dedicated to preparing safe and effective stem cell products for transplantation. In addition to inpatient and outpatient services, the Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Center has a dedicated clinic and infusion center that helps monitor and manage complications of stem cell transplantation, including graft versus host disease.
Stem cells are immature cells that eventually develop into the various types of mature blood cells, including:
A stem cell transplant replaces defective or damaged cells in patients whose normal blood cells have been crowded out by cancerous cells. Transplants can also be used to treat hereditary disorders, like sickle cell disease, or to help patients recover from, or better tolerate, cancer treatment.
A stem cell transplant procedure can be performed using your own stem cells (autologous) or another person’s stem cells (allogeneic). Stem cell transplantation offers potentially curative therapy to patients with a variety of cancers.
Stem cells for transplant come from these sources:
Human leukocyte antigen typing, or HLA, is the method by which stem cell transplant patients are matched with eligible donors. HLA are proteins that exist on the surface of most cells in the body.
The closest possible match between the HLA markers of the donor and the patient lowers the risk of graft versus host disease (GVHD). This condition occurs after transplant when your immune cells attack the donor cells, or when the donor cells attack your cells. The best match is most often a first-degree relative (siblings, children or parents). However, about 75 percent of patients do not have a suitable donor in their family and require cells from matched unrelated donors. These donors are found through registries such as the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP).
HLA typing is done with a blood sample or mouth swab taken from the patient, which is then compared with samples from a family member or a donor registry.
Ideally, a brother, sister or another family member can serve as the stem cell donor. For those patients without a family or related donor, the transplant coordinator team, working along with the NMPD, helps identify HLA-matched unrelated donors (MUD).
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T cell) is a type of immunotherapy that uses human T cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells. With this type of therapy, T cells are removed from either the patient’s blood or a possible donor and altered in a lab to give them a specific receptor called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). These receptors will attach to proteins on the surface of cancer cells.
The modified T cells are multiplied in the laboratory and preserved by freezing. Once a sufficient quantity is available, they are administered back to the patient via intravenous infusion. These CAR T cells can then seek out the cancer cells and destroy them. Chemotherapy is given first to prepare the patient for the CAR T-cell infusion.
Learn more about CAR T-cell therapy.
Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are a type of cell therapy using lymphocytes (white blood cells) to treat cancer. Lymphocytes are a vital part of the immune system that helps the body defend against infections and eliminate diseased cells. Lymphocytes (made up of T cells and B cells) move through the body looking for cells that don’t belong, like cancer cells.
As cancers grow, the TILs recognize these abnormal cells and move into the tumor where they accumulate. Because TILs come straight from the tumor, they already recognize the cancer cells and don’t need extra guidance during treatment.
To use TILs as a therapy, they must be supported in overcoming the suppressive tumor environment and improve their ability to eliminate cancer cells. This process involves removing TILs from the tumor and increasing their numbers in the laboratory. By doing so, the patient receives a much larger population of immune cells already trained to recognize and destroy their specific cancer.
Transplant coordinators will supervise the search process and the pre-transplant evaluation and testing of the donor and recipient. The transplant coordinators will have the most up-to-date information about the matched related or unrelated donor process, as well as all phases of autologous and immune effector cell (CAR T) coordination.
For any questions regarding unrelated transplantation or the donation process, contact your transplant coordinator.
The medical or surgical oncology teams refer patients with melanoma or other eligible cancers to the Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program. Transplant coordinators will help manage the TIL process from referral through insurance approval, tumor removal, cell manufacturing and treatment.
The FDA has approved several cellular immunotherapies for patients with hematologic (blood-related) malignancies and metastatic tumors. The Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapy Center is currently certified to offer these brand name cellular therapies either under commercial use or as part of a clinical trial.
CAR T-Cell Therapies
Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TIL)
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