If you live in or near our Greenville, S.C. market and need one of the newest way to treat blood cancer, look no further than our ministry and team.
We are proud to share that Bon Secours St. Francis is now offering CAR T-cell therapy, a type of immunotherapy that’s transforming cancer care. By using genetically engineered versions of a patient’s own immune cells, this new therapy seeks out and destroys many different types of blood cancer, including multiple myeloma, lymphomas and some leukemias.
“Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy are common treatment options for cancer patients, but thankfully, science is constantly evolving and that means new treatments are always being developed,” Andrew Honeychuck (pictured above), administrative director of oncology services for Bon Secours St. Francis, shares. “We’re excited to be able to expand the care options available here in the Upstate for our patients, especially because CAR T-cell therapy has been showing promising results for the future.”
In a more detailed look at this therapy, it uses T-cells from your own body to boost the immune system and eliminate cancer. T-cells are a type of white blood cell that help our body’s immune system defend against foreign invaders.
During treatment, a patient’s T-cells are extracted and genetically modified in a lab by adding a protein called chimeric antigen receptor, or CAR. The CAR acts like a navigation system that helps the T-cells track down and kill cancer cells. Then, once the modifications are made, the new T-cells are reinfused into the patient’s body to launch an attack on the disease.
“The great thing about it is how individualized it is,” Andrew adds. “We’re able to modify T-cells so they target the patient’s specific cancer, helping their immune system better recognize and kill those cancer cells.”
Overall, this highly specialized and highly personalized therapy can help people treat certain types of cancer, even when other treatments are no longer working. And we are honored to be able to offer it to those who need it.
Learn more about the cancer care and oncology services we provide at Bon Secours.
