Patients with advanced synovial sarcoma who have exhausted standard treatment options now have access to a new cellular therapy at Northside Hospital Cancer Institute.
Northside is the first and only health system in Georgia to offer Tecelra®, the first engineered T-cell therapy for a solid tumor cancer to receive accelerated FDA approval for eligible adults with unresectable or metastatic synovial sarcoma who have received prior chemotherapy.
Synovial sarcoma is a rare soft tissue cancer that predominantly affects younger adults, with one third of patients facing diagnosis under the age of 30. It often affects muscles or ligaments in the arm, leg or foot, and near joints such as the wrist or ankle.
While chemotherapy and targeted therapies have long been the primary treatment options, patients with relapsed or refractory disease have historically had limited effective therapies available.
Tecelra is a new approach to treatment by using a patient’s own T cells — a type of white blood cell — to recognize and attack cancer cells. It is a genetically modified T-cell receptor (TCR) therapy designed to target melanoma-associated antigen A4 (MAGE-A4), a protein expressed in many synovial sarcomas. The therapy is manufactured using a patient's own T cells before being infused back into the body to seek out and destroy cancer cells.
The addition of Tecelra reflects Northside's comprehensive immunotherapy program's ongoing commitment to expanding treatment options for patients with complex cancers through innovative cellular therapies.
"Having this new cellular therapy available at Northside Hospital provides sarcoma patients in Georgia the ability to receive cutting edge treatment that can significantly impact their outcomes," said Dr. Melhem Solh of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Group of Georgia (BMTGA).
Because the treatment is available at Northside Hospital Atlanta, eligible patients throughout Georgia can receive this newly approved therapy closer to home rather than seeking treatment outside the state.
To refer a patient for consultation or speak to a Blood and Marrow Transplant Group of Georgia physician, please call 404-255-1930.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SARCOMA CARE AT NORTHSIDE HOSPITAL CANCER INSTITUTE.
