Yescarta® Receives FDA Approval as First CAR T-cell Therapy for First Salvage Treatment for Relapsed or Refractory Large B-Cell Lymphoma (LBCL): Now Available at Northside Hospital’s Immunotherapy Program.
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- ZUMA-7 Yescarta® trial demonstrated a clinically meaningful and statistically significant improvement in event-free survival (EFS; hazard ratio 0.398; P< 0.0001) over the current standard of care (SOC) that has been in place for decades.
- 2.5 times more patients receiving Yescarta® (40.5%) were alive at two years without disease progression or need for additional cancer treatment, after their one-time infusion of Yescarta® vs. SOC (16.3%), and the median EFS was four-fold greater (8.3 months vs. 2.0 months) with Yescarta® vs. SOC.
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) updated its Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for B-cell Lymphomas to include Yescarta® for “Relapsed disease <12 month or Primary Refractory disease” under Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) as a Category 1 recommendation.
- ZUMA-7 is a landmark trial for being the first and largest trial of its kind, with the longest follow-up.
To speak with a physician regarding a patient consultation, please call 404.255.1930.
The Immunotherapy Program at Northside Hospital Now Offers Abecma® CAR T-cell Therapy for Relapsed and Refractory Multiple Myeloma
WebMD Features Dr. Larry Morris and Ray Gillespie, a Northside Immunotherapy Program CAR T-cell Patient
To refer a CAR T-cell patient, please call 404-255-1930 or visit http://www.bmtga.com/immunotherapy-program-at-northside/
Congratulations to Our 2022 Castle Connolly Top Doctors
We are honored to announce that Dr. H Kent Holland, Dr. Lawrence E. Morris, Dr. Scott R. Solomon, Dr. Melhem M. Solh and Dr. Asad Bashey have been named Castle Connolly Top Doctors for 2022.
For over 25 years, Castle Connolly has been proud to be the most trusted resource in identifying Top Doctors. This recognition is given to only the top 7% of all US board-certified physicians.
To make a BMT, leukemia or CAR T-cell referral, please call 404-255-1930.
Ed Irwin’s Leukemia and Transplant Journey
My name is Ed. I am a biomedical engineer, primarily focused on the cognitive and biomechanic effects of work, aging, and disability. I was born in 1960, so before Leukemia happened to me my wife Elizabeth and I had seen our three sons grow up, start their families and careers, and leave us to begin building our post-middle age lives together. At age 57, I enjoyed excellent health – swimming a mile, four days per week, and working full-time as an engineer and research scientist.
To read more about Ed’s leukemia and allogeneic transplant, click here.
We Welcome Dr. Lizamarie Bachier-Rodriguez, MD, to The Blood and Marrow Transplant Group of Georgia and The Northside Cancer Institute.
On October 18, 2021, Dr. Bachier-Rodriguez joined The Blood and Marrow Transplant Group of Georgia and the Northside Cancer Institute’s Blood and Marrow Transplant, Leukemia and Immunotherapy Programs. Dr. Bachier-Rodriguez has extensive experience taking care of patients with complex blood and hematological malignancies.
Assistant Professor of Medicine
• Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center
Advanced Bone Marrow Transplant Fellowship:
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Hematology Oncology Fellowship:
• Weil Cornell Medicine, New York, NY
Postgraduate Training:
• Internal Medicine Residency, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Board Certification:
• Oncology and Hematology
Dr. Bachier-Rodriguez is accepting new patients. Please call 404.255.1930 to refer a patient or speak to a physician.
National Leaders in Allogeneic Transplantation
For an 13th consecutive year, (20009 – 2021), Northside BMT achieved survival outcomes that significantly exceeded the expected ranges as reported in the Center for International Blood an Marrow Transplant Research Final 2021 Transplant Center Specific Survival Report. The one-year survival of patients transplanted at Northside was 80.8%.
A total of 173 transplant centers were included in this analysis. This survival information includes only patients who received their first allogeneic transplant between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2019 using unrelated or related donors who had reported follow up. Each of these centers performed at least one unrelated or related donor transplant over the 3-year window of time from January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2019.
For additional information, click Survival Data.
September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month
We would like to thank our patients, caregivers and team members who continuously support our nationally recognized BMT/Leukemia/Immunotherapy Programs. Our BMT Program is the ONLY adult program in the U.S. that achieved survival outcomes that significantly exceeded their expected survival rate for the last 12 consecutive reporting cycles.
Please click the images above to view Lindsay Stead’s and Caroline Campbell's BMT and Leukemia patient testimonials.
Dr. Scott Solomon and Our Mutliple Myeloma Patient, Bryon Daily, are Featured in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Recent Patient-Doctor Perspectives Podcast.
Our BMT GVHD Team Presents at the nbmtlink’s Chronic Graft Versus Host Disease Webinar
Congratulations to Connie Sizemore, Pharm. D., Latasha Mccoy, BSN,RN and Dawn Speckhart, PhD, who led a recent nbmtlink’s webinar on Chronic Graft vs. Host Disease and its impact on post allogeneic patients’ lives.
Please click here to review their presentations.
Congratulation to the NH-BMT Program
Successful BMT CTN Grant Renewal 2017 – 2023
NH-BMT program achieved BMT CTN Core Center Grant renewal funding for years 2017 - 2023. Past performance, current application, and PI leadership contributed to the grant renewal. NH-BMT applied as a consortium with University of Miami and Levine Cancer Institute. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) provide BMT CTN research grant funding.
Achieving this award is a validation of the efforts of each person in the program, the support of the administration, and leadership of the BMTGA physicians. For further information, please read Press Release.
Now Available: 2021 Transplant Consultation Timing Guidelines
The 2021 Transplant Consultation Timing Guidelines identify appropriate allogeneic or autologous HCT referral timing based on disease characteristics. Access the guidelines online, as a PDF or in the mobile app.
The NMDP/Be the Match and the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) jointly develop the guidelines. They are based on current clinical practice, medical literature, National Comprehensive Cancer Network© (NCCN) Guidelines for the treatment of cancer and evidence-based reviews.
Advances in Immunotherapy for Cancer: Novel Phase I Clinical Research Trial Open for Enrollment
Advances in Immunotherapy for Cancer: Novel Phase I Clinical Research Trial Open for Enrollment
Advances in Immunotherapy for Cancer: Novel Phase I Clinical Research Trial Open for Enrollment
Post- Blood and Marrow Transplant Immunization Schedule- What You Need to Know
After blood and marrow transplant, patients will need to be re-immunized with all childhood vaccinations due to their new immune systems being immature and vulnerable to diseases/infections. It is recommended that post-transplant patients begin their vaccination schedule six months after transplant unless clinically contraindicated. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), recommends the following:
- Inactivated influenza vaccine should be administered beginning at least 6 months after HCT and annually thereafter for the life of the patient.
- Sequential administration of 3 doses of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is recommended, beginning 3-6 months after the transplant, followed by a dose of PPSV.
- A 3-dose regimen of Hib vaccine should be administered beginning 6 months after transplant; at least 1 month should separate the doses.
- MMR vaccine should be administered 24 months after transplant if the HCT recipient is immunocompetent.
- If a decision is made to vaccinate with varicella vaccine, the vaccine should be administered a minimum of 24 months after transplantation if the HCT recipient is presumed to be immunocompetent.
Please click here to view the NH-BMT post-transplant vaccination schedule recommended for both autologous and allogeneic transplant recipients. For more specific information, see Tomblyn M, Chiller T, Einsele H, et al. Guidelines for Preventing Infectious Complications among Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Recipients: A Global Perspective [1.9MB, 96 pages]. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 15:1143-1238;2009 or visit http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines.