CAR-T: Advanced Leukemia Treatment at Sheba Medical Center
Leukemia, sometimes called “cancer of the blood,” is the most common malignancy among children. The symptoms of the disease can be devastating, and it is not uncommon for conventional therapies, like chemotherapy and radiation, to fail. Fortunately, efforts to find new and effective treatment options continue daily, with South Africa patients now turning to treatments available in Israel. One such novel treatment is now offered at Sheba Medical Center: CAR-T.
How Does CAR-T Therapy Work?
CAR-T treatment for leukemia is an innovative process that uses your own immune cells to seek and destroy cancerous cells.
After some blood is taken from the patient, the T-cells, a type of immune cell, are removed from the sample. Using advanced genetic engineering techniques, the T-cells are modified, causing them to create chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). These CARs program the T-cells to find and destroy cancer cells when injected back into the patient.
The patient receives chemotherapy while the modified T-cells grow in our laboratory. The chemotherapy dampens the patient’s immune system, permitting the CAR T-cells to do a better job of eliminating malignant cells.
Who Can Have CAR-T Treatment?
Potential patients need to have undergone at least two prior leukemia treatments. The CAR-T protocol requires hospitalization of at least two weeks, but same patients may need a longer observation period.
Great success has been achieved in young patients with CAR-T treatment. The following are the rates of complete recovery with this therapy:
- 85-90% in young children
- Approximately 80% in teenagers
- Around 70% of the entire patient population
Of course, Sheba continues to strive to further improve these rates through continuous research and retaining the best physicians.
If you have a loved one suffering from leukemia, contact us right away. We’ll be happy to answer all your questions and help in every possible way.
Sheba – Ranked In The Top Ten Best Hospitals Worldwide
How I took charge of my disease: CAR T-cell therapy at Sheba Medical Center
“Like a bolt from the blue… That was Sam Turel’s reaction when first diagnosed with chronic lymphoproliferative disease. Sam had enjoyed an active full life, but when he heard the words “blood cancer,” he fell into acute despair. After years of initial treatments slowed him down, he was later diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). It was time to seek an advanced treatment method, and Sam chose Sheba for CAR-T cell therapy.
Read Sam’s story and the role CAR-T therapy played in it: ”
Why Come to Sheba for CAR-T Therapy?
- Sheba is fully accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI), the recognized authority
for international healthcare accreditation - Sheba physicians are top-tier specialists, with many having trained in the US. In fact, Sheba enjoys a
close partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas - Even though Sheba patients always receive the highest caliber of care, healthcare costs are usually
much more affordable in Israel compared to the US - We provide complete CAR-T therapy on site at Sheba. This means you receive all of your treatment under one roof. We even have our own advanced laboratory where T-cells are engineered
- We help you every step of the way when you travel to Sheba for treatment. This includes arranging accommodations and providing you with an interpreter. Due to the close relationship between Israel and the US, we can even help Americans obtain on-arrival visas
Request a consultation
Sheba Medical Center provides innovative, personalized medical care to patients from around the world. We are the largest, most comprehensive hospital in the Middle East and dedicated to providing advanced and compassionate medicine for everyone.
We welcome all cases, including the rarest and the most challenging. Our medical teams collaborate to provide the best possible health outcomes. From your initial inquiry through the long-term follow-up care, we are here for you.
Request a consultation and a Sheba Case Manager will contact you shortly: