By: Nina Dimitrova, PharmD, and Abraham Kanate, MD, medical director for cellular therapies

The Cancer Transplant Institute at HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center is a comprehensive bone marrow and hematopoietic cell transplant, acute leukemia and cellular therapy program that provides advanced, multidisciplinary care for patients with hematologic malignancies and marrow failure disorders.

Core services include evaluation and management of acute leukemias (including primary therapy), lymphomas, multiple myeloma and inherited or acquired marrow failure disorders. The program offers both autologous and allogeneic transplants, as well as cellular and bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) therapies. These therapies expand treatment options for initial disease presentation and relapsed or refractory disease.

The program has expertise in donor selection, graft engineering, conditioning regimens, post-treatment symptoms and immunologic management. These therapies are supported by rigorous clinical pathways and continuous monitoring for toxicities, such as cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS).

Evolving indications and clinical impact

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell, or CAR-T, therapy and BiTEs reflect a shift in cancer treatment toward immune-based approaches that complement traditional chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. Once considered niche therapies in hematological malignancies alone, they now have expanded indications and growing interest in solid tumors and nonmalignant applications.

As these therapies become more widely used, they increasingly affect referral patterns, supportive care needs and longitudinal patient management. For physicians outside of traditional transplant or cellular therapy settings, understanding when and how these therapies are used is becoming an important part of modern oncology practice.

Guiding T cells to target cancer

Currently, FDA-approved CAR-T cell therapy is a personalized, one-time treatment that reprograms a patient’s own T cells to recognize and attack cancer. T cells are collected, engineered to target a specific tumor antigen and reinfused after lymphodepleting chemotherapy. Once administered, CAR-T cells can expand and persist in the body, functioning as a living therapy with the potential for durable disease control.

BiTEs activate the immune system by directly linking a patient’s T cells to cancer cells through a dual-binding antibody. These off-the-shelf agents do not require cell collection or manufacturing and are typically administered on an ongoing schedule. This allows for a more flexible treatment approach, often in the outpatient setting, with less upfront commitment.

In practice, the choice between CAR-T and bispecific therapy depends on the patient’s overall clinical picture, including disease burden, comorbidities and treatment goals.

A comprehensive, specialized approach to cellular therapy

The HonorHealth Cancer Transplant Institute is a specialized, multidisciplinary team that is experienced in managing patients receiving these cellular therapies. These treatments can be associated with immune-mediated effects, such as CRS and neurologic toxicities, including ICANS, which are typically managed with standardized monitoring protocols and early intervention.

For this reason, the program supports patients throughout the treatment continuum, including pretreatment assessment, recommendations for bridging therapy when appropriate, management during CAR-T therapy and BiTE step-up dosing, and longitudinal follow-up after treatment. Referring providers remain closely involved, with ongoing communication and access to expert guidance for clinical questions before, during and after therapy.

Clinical applications and available therapies at HonorHealth

CAR-T therapy is available for several hematologic malignancies, including various B-cell lymphomas, B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and multiple myeloma, particularly in the relapsed or refractory setting.

BiTE therapies are used across multiple malignancies, including ALL, multiple myeloma, B-cell lymphomas and extensive-stage small cell lung cancer. The program continues to adopt new BiTE options as indications expand and guidelines evolve.

The program is designed to support referring providers by managing the complexity of cellular therapy while maintaining close collaboration throughout the patient’s care.

How to refer

Call 480-323-1573 or fax patient information to 480-882-5876.