Date and Time:
Tuesday, May 25, 2021
7:00 – 8:00 pm EDT (5-6 pm MDT)
Session Description:
Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy (CAR-T), is a promising and innovative treatment option for some lymphoma patients in Canada, harnessing the patient’s own immune system to treat cancer. It is a type of immunotherapy that improves the effectiveness of a patient’s T-cells, a type of cell in your body that plays a central role in the immune response. These T-Cells then recognize the specific cancer cells in your body to attack and destroy them. Currently, CAR-T therapy is approved for treatment in Canada for relapsed/refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL).
Inequitable access is a major barrier to receiving CAR-T treatment in Canada. Along with Ontario and Quebec, Alberta is the third province to be able to offer CAR-T therapy within its provincial borders. Patients are now able to receive CAR T-cell therapy at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre in Calgary, or through a made-in-Alberta CAR T-cell therapy through a clinical trial at the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton.
To learn more about CAR T-cell therapy in Alberta, Dr. Mona Shafey, a clinical associate professor at the University of Calgary and the director of the Alberta blood and marrow transplant program, will provide specific information on CAR-T access and experience specifically within this province.
Speaker:
Dr. Mona Shafey, MD, MSc
Clinical Associate Professor, University of Calgary
Hematologist, Tom Baker Cancer Centre
Director, Alberta Blood and Marrow Transplant Program
Speaker Biography: Dr. Mona Shafey is a hematologist with the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology and Hematological Malignancies, and the Program Director of the Alberta Blood and Marrow Transplant program. Her clinical and research interests focus on malignant hematology, particularly lymphoma and CLL, and the use of stem cell transplantation for those diseases. She has been heavily involved in advocating for local access to CAR T-cell therapy for her patients within Alberta and was engaged throughout the development of the Alberta CAR T-Cell Therapy Program.
