Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) is one of the first cancer centers in the nation to offer both FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies. Tisagenlecleucel, known by the brand name Kymriah®, and axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel), known by the brand name Yescarta®, are available only at certified treatment centers such as SCCA. This type of immunotherapy uses engineered T cells to harness the power of a patient’s own immune system to treat certain types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).
Patients and referring providers can speak with a specialized patient care coordinator, Monday – Friday, 8 am – 4:30 pm.
These CAR T-cell therapies are different from other cancer medicines because they are made from the patient’s own white blood cells, which have been modified to recognize and attack the patient’s cancer cells.
Axicabtagene ciloleucel (axi-cel), also known by the brand name Yescarta®, is an FDA-approved treatment for aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). It is used when at least two other kinds of treatment have failed.
This therapy is available at SCCA for:
Tisagenlecleucel, also known by the brand name Kymriah®, is an FDA-approved treatment for patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).
This therapy is available at SCCA for:
These therapies are available for a certain population of cancer patients. However, patients at SCCA also have access to many different therapies, including other CAR T-cell therapies in clinical trials. Talk with our care team to learn more.
Right now, the FDA has approved CAR T-cell therapy for adult patients with certain types of lymphoma and for children and young adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia that hasn’t responded to other forms of treatment. Clinical trials of different CAR T-cell therapies for a variety of cancers are underway at SCCA, as we are pioneers in this new form of cancer treatment.
Health insurers are preparing their coverage policies for these new FDA-approved treatments. In the meantime, coverage will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, which is typical when new therapies are first approved. SCCA will do everything we can to seek health insurance coverage for clinically-eligible patients.