CAR T-cell Therapy Consults: Navigating a New Landscape is an interactive educational activity* that aims to assist clinicians in the identification and management of patients with various hematologic malignancies who may benefit from chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy.
CAR-T therapy has been rapidly integrated into clinical practice for various lymphomas, multiple myeloma, and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). CAR-T therapy is largely delivered at academic medical centers with stem cell transplant programs, but most patients in need of this therapy are often first evaluated and treated in community practices.
In contrast to stem cell transplantation, which has been an established treatment for decades, practicing oncologists may not have direct experience with CAR-T therapy and the potential short- and long-term toxicities that their patients may experience. Additionally, the parallel development of other novel immune and small molecule therapies for hematologic malignancies has expanded the second-line treatment options for several hematologic malignancies, but there is a paucity of available data to guide the optimal sequencing of these novel treatments for relapsed disease. Thus, the current challenges that exist for the clinical management of CAR-T therapy include a lack of familiarity with both short- and long-term complications of treatment, optimal patient selection, and timing of CAR-T treatment.
This educational activity focuses on CAR-T therapy for B-ALL, multiple myeloma, and B-cell lymphomas, and is delivered via both webinar and online modules. The webinar sessions are geographically based and led by experts from the Northeast, South, Midwest, and West regions of the United States (participants can attend any webinar that fits their schedule). The sessions focus on identification of patients for CAR-T therapy as well as details of treatment toxicities and best practices for long-term follow-up. Each session is 60 minutes, with the first 15 to 20 minutes reserved for an educational presentation and most of the session intended as an interactive, case-based discussion. Attendees are encouraged to bring real-world cases for additional discussion.
Four additional sessions covering multiple myeloma and B-cell lymphoma will be presented beginning in January and ending in April 2023. Sessions are free of charge and participants are eligible to claim continuing medical education credits, as well as credits toward ABIM’s continuing certification program. All members of the multidisciplinary oncology team are welcome to attend. Additional details, including dates and registration, can be found on The France Foundation website (www.francefoundation. com/9155-car-t-cell-therapyconsults- navigating-a-newlandscape).
Patrick M. Reagan, MD, is Associate Professor, Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY. Kristen M. O’Dwyer, MD, is Associate Professor, Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY.
*This educational activity is the result of a collaboration between ASH, the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, and The France Foundation, supported by educational grants from CRISPR Therapeutics, Janssen, Kite Pharma, and Novartis.
