A revolutionary new cancer treatment is now available at Kingston Health Sciences Centre.
It’s called Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, which strengthens the body’s immune system to allow it to fight off cancer without chemotherapy or radiation.
Kingston Health Sciences Centre is now the fourth hospital in Canada to offer the new treatment. The other three are in Toronto, Ottawa, and Hamilton.
T-cells are a type of white blood cell that helps the body detect and fight infections, but cancer cells can learn to hide from them. CAR T-cell therapy works by collecting a patient’s T-cells, teaching them to find and attack the cancer, then reinjecting them back into the body.
Previously, patients who needed this treatment would have to travel long distances, sometimes to other countries, to get treatment.
