Psycho-Social Services Can Offer Support During CAR T-Cell Therapy

CAR T-cell therapy represents a significant advancement in oncology, offering new hope for patients with specific cancer types. However, this powerful, often life-saving treatment comes with unique emotional and logistical complexities that demand specialized psychosocial support. Sally Werner, RN, BSN, MSHA, chief executive officer of Cancer Support Community, discusses the crucial resources essential for patients and families undergoing or considering this advanced therapy. She highlights that the journey often involves leaving a familiar community setting for a large National Cancer Institute (NCI) or academic center, creating a significant gap in care and support.

Werner emphasizes the critical role of plain language education to help patients and caregivers understand the benefits and processes of CAR T-cell therapy. To bridge the divide between local and academic centers, she introduces the concept of a "CAR-T Concierge," a dedicated navigation program designed to provide continuous support and fill critical gaps throughout the treatment journey. This program offers check-ins at key milestones and remains available for on-demand support.

Transcript:

There are a lot of frequently asked questions that often don’t get answered for patients and caregivers. CAR T-cell therapy often [requires] leaving the community setting to go into an NCI center or an academic center. We are highly focused on…education on the benefits of CAR T-cell therapy, especially for those who are in different lines of treatment, [such as] basic, fundamental plain language education. Next to that, we do something called CAR-T Concierge, which is a navigation program. Because patients and caregivers are leaving the community setting and going to an NCI Center or an academic center, there’s not a bridge in between, and we help create that bridge. We help fill the gaps for both the community center and the academic centers, so that patients and caregivers feel supported regardless of where they are in that CAR-T journey. Our CAR-T Concierge has different milestones within the treatment process, where we check in, but also, a patient or caregiver can call us at any time. It’s one of the most important things that we are doing in CAR T-cell therapies, and others are doing in CAR-T caregiver support. It’s difficult for a caregiver to know this treatment trajectory: “When should I take off work? When do I not need to take off work? What are the heat maps, the ups and downs of this treatment, of where it’s going to be the most intense for the person I’m the [caregiver] for? And [when is there] going to be some downtime?” This is helping caregivers map that out, but also juggling the practical, logistical issues of transportation, finances, and housing during CAR T-cell therapy and keeping their loved ones updated on the progress of the person receiving treatment. We do a big wraparound service for CAR T-cell therapy because it’s great. It’s lifesaving, but it’s complex.