British Columbia is beginning to offer an immunotherapy cancer treatment in the province for some patients who haven’t had success with standard chemotherapy or radiation.
Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell Therapy, commonly referred to as CAR-T, treats lymphoma and leukemia by collecting a patient’s white blood cells and genetically engineering them to recognize and kill cancer cells.
Dr. Kim Chi, the chief medical officer for BC Cancer, says patients who needed the treatment would previously have to be sent outside the province or country.