PROVIDENCE – The Roger Williams Medical Center Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program recently announced it is the state’s only center offering a new cell therapy for adult patients with multiple myeloma.
Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that affects blood plasma cells in bone marrow. These plasma cells usually produce antibodies that fight infections, but they become cancerous in patients with multiple myeloma, crowding out healthy blood-forming cells and causing severe or fatal sickness.
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The cell therapy is known as CARVYKTI – which is a CAR-T, or chimeric antigen receptor-T cell, therapy – and has shown a 71% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death in clinical trials when compared with standard therapy.
Roger Williams’ Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program was also the first to introduce other CAR-T cell therapies such as YESCARTA, TECARTUS and KYMRIAH. CARVYKTI is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for patients who previously received at least one therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor and immunomodulatory agent and are refractory to lenalidomide.
“We continue to be proud of our local market leadership in cancer treatment,” said Jeffrey Liebman, CEO of CharterCARE Health Partners, which operates Roger Williams Medical Center. “The introduction of CARVYKTI therapy is the latest example of our commitment to provide local access to new therapies for fighting cancer instead of forcing patients to Boston or beyond for help.”
Katie Castellani is a PBN staff writer. You may contact her at Castellani@PBN.com.
