Some Cancer patients in BC will have better access to therapy as part of a new provincial initiative.
These treatments are called Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy, specifically for advanced leukemias and lymphomas.
Premier David Eby says that the province will support eligible cancer patients to get CAR-T therapy closer to home in BC adding “Cancer touches the lives of so many people in British Columbia.”
This initiative is part of B.C.’s larger 10-year Cancer Care Action Plan.
According to Dr. Kim Chi, executive vice-president of BC Cancer, these investments will help improve specialized treatments. “We’re bringing this new life-saving treatment closer to home for patients who are no longer responding to conventional treatments.”
Adrian Chantler is a cancer patient who went through CAR T-cell treatment on the mainland. “A few weeks after treatment I started feeling better and today, after just a few months, I’m essentially back to normal.”
Intake for patients started in January and the first treatments will start this month.
