Joseph Alvarnas, MD, professor, Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplant, vice president of Government Affairs and chief clinical advisor, City of Hope, discusses the importance of access to CAR T-cell therapy in cancer care.

The California Cancer Care Equity Act will assist patients with hematological malignancies and other cancers to gain better access to clinical trials and precision medicine. Within California, many patients who are beneficiaries of the state Medicaid program could not access care at a National Cancer Institute, a comprehensive cancer center, or an academic cancer center, according to Alvarnas. This disparity leads to advanced malignancies in these patients who would benefit from clinical trials and access to CAR T-cell therapy, Alvarnas emphasizes.

The California Cancer Care Equity Act acknowledges that cancer care is ostensibly different than other kinds of care, and that clinical trials play a crucial role in cancer care, Alvarnas concludes.

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Joseph Alvarnas, MD, discusses the importance of access to CAR T-cell therapy in cancer care.


Dr. Alvarnas on the Importance of Access to CAR T-cell Therapy in Cancer Care

Joseph Alvarnas, MD, the director of Medical Quality at City of Hope National Medical Center, discusses autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHCT) for patients with HIV-associated lymphoma.

Aâ€‹ recent phase II study compared HIV-associated lymphoma with lymphoma patients without HIV and found that both groups had similar outcomes after AHCT. The one-year survival rate for the HIV-lymphoma patients was 86%.

This research is extremely promising, says Alvarnas, because it was previously believed that those with HIV-associated lymphoma could not undergo transplant safely and were instead treated with minimal chemotherapy or less intense therapies.

Joseph Alvarnas, MD

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Dr. Alvarnas on the Importance of Access to CAR T-cell Therapy in Cancer Care

Dr. Alvarnas on Stem Cell Transplant for HIV-Associated Lymphoma