Andrunette’s Story: How Cord Blood Donation Gave Her the Gift of Life
Andrunette Britt was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in 2015.
Here, Andrunette talks about her journey, her stem cell transplant and
the expert care she received from her team at Northside Hospital Cancer Institute.
To read more about Andrunette's story, click here.
Young Mother, Mabel Barba, Shares her Leukemia and Blood and Marrow Transplant Journey
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.
Dr. Melhem Solh Discusses Changes in the Management of TP53-Mutant AML and Myelodysplastic Syndrome
Click here to listen to Dr. Solh’s interview with Targeted Oncology
National Leaders in Allogeneic Transplantation
For the thirteenth 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 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, please go to https://bethematch.org/tcdirectory/index/60/.
Yescarta® Receives FDA Approval as First CAR T-cell Therapy for Initial Treatment for Relapsed or Refractory Large B-Cell Lymphoma (LBCL): Now Available at Northside Hospital’s Immunotherapy Program.
On April 1, 2022, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Yescarta® (axicabtagene ciloleucel) CAR T-cell therapy for adult patients with large B-cell lymphoma that is refractory to first-line chemoimmunotherapy or that relapses within 12 months of first-line chemoimmunotherapy.
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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.
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.
Advances in Immunotherapy for Cancer: Novel Phase I Clinical Research Trial Open for Enrollment
Atlanta Multiple Myeloma Symposium: Registration is OPEN
We would like to invite you to attend the 2nd Annual Atlanta Multiple Myeloma Symposium (AMMS) on Saturday, March 5, 2022, at the Intercontinental in Atlanta. This one-day meeting will address the latest strategies and state-of-the-art approaches for managing patients with multiple myeloma and other plasma cell disorders. Join us and our expert roster of faculty at this pivotal educational event.
Congratulations to Our BMTGA Physicians and Their Top Doctor Awards
We are proud to announce all five BMTGA physicians were selected as 2021 Castle Connolly and Atlanta Magazine’s Top Doctors. Dedication to their patients, family members and staff has resulted in the Northside Blood and Marrow Transplant Program being the ONLY BMT Center in the country to exceed predicted survival rates for the past twelve years.
Dr. Solh’s Research, “Alternative Donor Transplantation for Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Haploidentical Relative and Matched Unrelated Donors,” is Published by the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR).
This research trial was one of three selected this quarter by the CIBMTR’s Consumer Advocacy Committee. To read article, click CIBMTR Study Summaries for Patients page
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.
We Congratulate Katherine Welch on her Five Year Leukemia/BMT Anniversary
and her Son Michael’s Fifth Birthday
To read more of Katherine and her son’s amazing journey, please Click here.
Summer 2021 Hope & Healing Survivorship Newsletter
The Northside Hospital Cancer Institute recently published their Summer Survivorship Newsletter. To read more about available survivorship and support services, please click here.
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/
nBMTlink’s Lunch and Learn, Everything You Needed to Know About CAR T-cell Therapy, Featured Our CAR T-cell Patient, Ray Gillespie and Dr. Larry Morris
Dr. Morris provided CAR T-cell education to two hundred and forty patients who participated in this national nbmtlink Lunch and Learn. Ray Gillespie, an NHL CAR T-cell survivor shared his personal experience including details about his life-saving clinical trial.
To listen to the Lunch and Learn, please click here.
Dr Holland’s CAR T-cell therapy for relapsed/refractory Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Presentation is Now Available
The Immunotherapy Program at Northside Hospital is a Bristol Myers Squibb and bluebirdbio Certified CAR T-Cell Treatment Center for Abecma™ (idecabtagene vicleucel), the First Anti-BCMA CAR T Cell Therapy for Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma
Abecma™, is a first-in-class BCMA-directed personalized immune cell therapy delivered as a one-time infusion for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma after four or more prior lines of therapy, including an immunomodulatory agent, a proteasome inhibitor, and an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody.
In the pivotal KarMMa trial, the majority (72%) of patients achieved rapid, deep and durable responses. The safety profile of Abecma™ is well established and predictable including cytokine release syndrome and neurologic toxicities that are mostly low-grade with early onset and resolution.
To learn more about Multiple Myeloma and Abecma™, please click here.
Northside Immunotherapy Program First to Offer New CAR T-cell Therapy for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved BREYANZI™ (lisocabtagene maraleucel; liso-cel), from Bristol Myers, a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T-cell immunotherapy, for the treatment of adult patients with:
- Relapsed or refractory (R/R) large B-cell lymphoma after two or more lines of systemic therapy.
- Including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified (including DLBCL arising from indolent lymphoma).
- High-grade B-cell lymphoma, primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, and follicular lymphoma grade 3B.
We are the first program in Georgia to offer this latest chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. To read more about Breyanzi CAR T-cell Therapy, click here.
To make a CAR T-cell referral, or to speak with a physician, please call 404-255-1930.
We Offer All Four FDA-Approved CAR T-cell Products for B-cell Malignancies
- Breyanzi®, Yescarta® and Kymriah® for patients with R/R large B-cell lymphomas including transformed follicular lymphoma
- Tecartus® for patients with R/R mantle cell lymphoma
- Yescarta® for patients with R/R follicular lymphoma
- Kymriah® for patients with R/R B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Referring patients early can assist in optimal treatment planning due to varying product manufacturing times, which can take between 2-4 weeks.
For more detailed CAR T-cell NHL product information, please Click here
Please call 404-255-1930 to initiate a referral or to speak to a physician.
Advances in Immunotherapy for Cancer: Novel Phase I Clinical Research Trial Open for Enrollment
Dr Bashey’s Cancer Support Community’s, Frankly Speaking About Multiple Myeloma, Presentation is Now Available
Congratulations to the NH-BMT Data Management Department
During the recent 2021 CIBMTR Tandem meetings, the BMT Program’s data management department and supervisor, Katie Jackson, BS, CCRC, program data supervisor, were recognized as one of the nation’s 2020 top performing transplant centers with a 0.6% to 1.0% critical field error rate. No other adult transplant program in the nation achieved these results.The Program’s auditing/training procedures were also recognized.
Katie also was a co-presenter for the Tandem Meeting session, HCT Product & Infusion. Click here to review presentation. We congratulate the entire Northside BMT data management team.
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.
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.