Treatment of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia in Older Adults

CLL is caused by a genetic mutation in the DNA of blood-producing cells, which triggers the development of abnormal, ineffective lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that usually helps your body fight infection. Other than being ineffective, these abnormal lymphocytes continue to live and multiply. They can then build up in the blood and in certain organs, where they cause complications such as anemia and infection, and may crowd healthy cells out of the bone marrow and interfere with normal blood cell production.

It can take a long time before CLL causes noticeable problems, and most people can live with it unaware for many years. However, chronic leukemias tend to be harder to cure than acute leukemias, which is why it is vital to seek expert treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia promptly, particularly in the case of older adult patients whose immune systems are somewhat less potent. Common treatments for CLL include chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation therapy, and bone marrow transplant, while select medical facilities also offer advanced immunotherapies, and especially, CAR T-cell therapy.

CAR T-cell therapy is an innovative procedure that uses your own immune system to seek and destroy cancerous cells. The CAR T-cell process begins with the patient’s blood being drawn. White blood cells (specifically, T-cells, an essential part of the immune system) are then separated from the rest of the blood using advanced technology. The white blood cells are subsequently sent to a specialized laboratory, where they are engineered to produce specific chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) on their surface. These CAR T-cells are then injected back into the patient’s bloodstream, where the new CARs can help them latch on to an antigen on the tumor cells – significantly increasing their ability to effectively hunt down and destroy cancerous cells.

CAR T-cell therapy has enabled many patients who did not respond to other treatment methods, including older adult chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients, to achieve remission.

Unfortunately, as a cutting-edge treatment, CAR T-cell therapy is only available at a handful of medical institutions worldwide, and tends to be very expensive. At Sheba Medical Center, we boast all of the advanced facilities necessary for delivering CAR T-cell therapy from start to finish: including a dedicated laboratory to engineer the T-cells.

Having discovered a few of the many advantages of choosing Israel for the treatment of lymphocytic leukemia in older adults, where exactly should you pursue it? Sheba Medical Center is an exceptional choice. One of the 10 best hospitals in the world according to Newsweek magazine, Sheba is dedicated to providing patients with world-class medical care.

The advantages of receiving treatment at Sheba Medical Center include:

• As a government institution, we have no hidden costs, and our fees are transparent. Although we offer advanced treatments available only in select medical institutions worldwide, our prices are affordable.
• Sheba treats each patient as a unique individual, personalizing every therapy program.
• Sheba’s 360-degree care approach to every patient means that our professionals will assist you with arranging medical record reviews, travel, visas, accommodations, and language interpretation as needed.
• Sheba has full accreditation from the Joint Commission International (JCI), the premier international healthcare accrediting group.
• Our physicians are actively involved in the latest research and application of progressive treatments.
• Sheba’s extensive experience with CAR T-cell therapy speaks louder than words. Under the expertise of Prof. Arnon Nagler, Director of the Hemato-Oncology Division, and a world-renowned specialist in the field, we have provided over 220 patients with CAR T-cell therapy.
• Convenient on-site CAR T-cell care: We offer all of the required services for CAR T-cell therapy under one roof, including blood collection, chemotherapy, a genetic engineering laboratory, T-cell injections, and patient monitoring, resulting in an efficient and expedited treatment.
• Multidisciplinary medicine: at Sheba, specialists from various departments collaborate to create a holistic treatment plan.