But in some blood cancers, your T cells cannot recognize the cancer cells, which can allow the cancer cells to grow.
To make your CAR T cells, your own T cells are collected from your blood and sent to the manufacturing facility.
There, your T cells are modified to have
Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs)?. This turns them into CAR T cells. This is a careful process that usually takes at least 2–3 weeks and has many quality checks.
On the day of your TECARTUS treatment, you receive millions of CAR T cells by infusion.
Once in your body, your new CAR T cells can now recognize certain blood cancer cells and attack them.
After receiving TECARTUS, you will stay at the
certified treatment center?, where the treatment team will monitor and manage any side effects.
What’s important to know when considering TECARTUS?
Here are three special considerations that may be different from your experience with other cancer treatments. There may be other considerations depending on your situation. Ask your oncologist or treatment
team for more information.
TECARTUS is only given at certified treatment centers?, also known as authorized treatment centers. These centers have medical staff who are specifically trained to take care of you throughout the whole CAR T-cell therapy process.
You can expect to have multiple appointments at the certified treatment center throughout treatment, including an extended stay after your TECARTUS infusion. Patients with MCL must stay at the treatment center for at least 1 week after infusion, and patients with ALL must stay for at least 2 weeks. Visit the
Receiving TECARTUS page to learn more.
Your treatment team will let you know how close you need to stay to a certified healthcare facility for the first 4 weeks after infusion. If you don’t live nearby, you may need to travel, find lodging, and consider other costs.
Find and learn about a certified treatment center close to you:
TECARTUS may cause side effects that are life-threatening and can lead to death. Your treatment team at the certified treatment center will be working with you to closely monitor and manage side effects.
Some side effect symptoms can be hard for patients to recognize, and this is one of the reasons you will need a dedicated caregiver. If you don’t have a dedicated caregiver, you can work with your treatment team to come up with a solution.
Each step of treatment can take time to organize and prepare for.
Talk to your treatment team about planning for CAR T.
“For us the key to the CAR T experience was knowledge about when, where, and why each step will happen. We asked lots of questions to get a better understanding of the process, and wrote things down on paper so we didn't miss
anything.”
DavidTECARTUS Patient
This testimonial is representative of the patient’s own experience. Individual treatment results and experience may vary.
This testimonial is representative of the patient’s own experience. Individual treatment results and experience may vary.
CAR T-cell therapy, or CAR T for short, is a type of immunotherapy. In CAR T, your T cells are modified to recognize and attack certain cancer cells. This is done by modifying your T cells to have Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs). This turns them from T cells into CAR T cells.
A Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) is a special molecule designed to help T cells recognize and attack cancer cells.
CARs hook onto a specific marker that cancer cells have a lot of. These markers are called antigens. When CARs hook onto these antigens, it can cause T cells to respond.
With TECARTUS, the CARs hook onto CD19, which is found on cancerous and normal B cells.
Certified treatment center locator tool
There are over 150 cancer centers certified to provide TECARTUS throughout the US. When choosing a location, consider that you will need to stay close to a center for at least 4 weeks after receiving TECARTUS.
You can use the locator tool to find and learn about nearby treatment centers and their teams.
Information on new centers (where available) will be added on an ongoing basis. You can also contact your treatment team to learn more.
Traveling From
Typical driving times around your location
1 hour2 hours
Certified treatment centers (also called Authorized Treatment Centers) are independent facilities certified to dispense Kite CAR T therapies. Choice of a certified treatment center is within the sole discretion of the physician and patient. Kite does not endorse any individual treatment sites. Insurance coverage should be considered when reviewing certified treatment center options.
Have questions? Call us
Your treatment team is the best resource for support throughout treatment.
If you have questions at any step of the CAR T process, our dedicated team at Kite can also help.
You can call them at:
In order to provide TECARTUS, cancer treatment centers must first be certified. Certified treatment centers have specifically-trained medical staff, strict treatment protocols, and safety measures in place
for CAR T-cell therapy. These centers are often first to use best care practices learned through research.
Certified treatment centers are sometimes known as authorized treatment centers, or certified healthcare facilities.
Approved Uses
TECARTUS is a treatment for adults with mantle cell lymphoma or acute lymphoblastic leukemia ...
Important Safety Information
What is the most important information I should know about TECARTUS?
TECARTUS may cause side effects that are life-threatening and can lead to death ...
TECARTUS® is a treatment for adults with mantle cell lymphoma or acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It is used following disease progression while on or after other treatment. TECARTUS is different than other cancer medicines because it is made from your own white blood cells, which have been modified to recognize and attack your lymphoma cells.
Important Safety Information
What is the most important information I should know about TECARTUS?
TECARTUS may cause side effects that are life-threatening and can lead to death. Call or see your healthcare provider or get emergency help right away if you get any of the following:
Fever (100.4°F/38°C or higher)
Difficulty breathing
Chills or shaking chills
Confusion
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Severe nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
Fast or irregular heartbeat
Severe fatigue or weakness
It is important to tell your healthcare provider that you received TECARTUS and to show them your TECARTUS Patient Wallet Card. Your healthcare provider may give you other medicines to treat your side
effects.
Before getting TECARTUS, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical problems, including if you have or have had:
Neurologic problems (such as seizures, stroke, or memory loss)
Lung or breathing problems
Heart problems
Liver problems
Kidney problems
A recent or active infection
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medications you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
How will I receive TECARTUS?
Since TECARTUS is made from your own white blood cells, your blood will be collected by a process called “leukapheresis” (loo-kah-fur-ee-sis), which will concentrate your white blood cells.
Your blood cells will be sent to a manufacturing center to make your TECARTUS.
Before you get TECARTUS, you will get 3 days of chemotherapy to prepare your body.
When your TECARTUS is ready, your healthcare provider will give it to you through a catheter placed into your vein (intravenous infusion). The infusion usually takes less than 30 minutes.
You will be monitored where you received your treatment daily for at least 7 days for patients with MCL and at least 14 days for patients with ALL after the infusion.
You should plan to stay close to a certified healthcare facility for at least four weeks after getting TECARTUS. Your healthcare provider will help you with any side effects that may occur.
You may be hospitalized for side effects. Your healthcare provider will discharge you if your side effects are under control and it is safe for you to leave the hospital.
Your healthcare provider will want to do blood tests to follow your progress. It is important that you do have your blood tested. If you miss an appointment, call your healthcare provider as soon as possible to reschedule.
What should I avoid after receiving TECARTUS?
Do not drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous things for eight weeks after you get TECARTUS because the treatment can cause sleepiness, confusion, weakness, and temporary memory and coordination problems.
Do not donate blood, organs, tissues, or cells for transplantation.
What are the possible or reasonably likely side effects of TECARTUS?
The most common side effects of TECARTUS include:
Fever (100.4°F/38°C or higher)
Low white blood cells (can occur with a fever)
Low red blood cells
Low blood pressure (dizziness or lightheadedness, headache, feeling tired, short of breath)
Fast heartbeat
Confusion
Difficulty speaking or slurred speech
Nausea
Diarrhea
TECARTUS may increase your risk of getting cancers including certain types of blood cancers. Your healthcare provider should monitor you for this.
These are not all the possible side effects of TECARTUS. Call your healthcare provider about any side effects that concern you. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs
to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call
1-800-FDA-1088.
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