Looking Back at CAR T: PROs From a Patient's Perspective

Article

A survivor of chronic lymphocytic leukemia who participated in the first chimeric antigen receptor T-cell trial in 2010 looks back at his experience and also discusses his views on how patient-reported outcomes (PROs) should be used, if at all, by CMS.

There are 2 approved chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies on the market for patients with advanced leukemias and lymphomas, Novartis’ tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah) and Kite Pharma/Gilead’s axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta). These immunotherapies are revolutionizing cancer treatment, albeit at great cost.

Doug Olson, a survivor of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, participated in the first CAR T trial in 2010, and joined a recent meeting of the Medicare Evidence Development and Coverage Advisory Committee convened by CMS to discuss how patient-reported outcomes (PROs) should be used, if at all, in any future coverage decisions.

He discussed his experience with CAR T, and his thoughts about PROs and costs, in a podcast after the meeting.

You may need to login to listen to the podcast.

iTunes: http://apple.co/2eYWTss

TuneIn: http://bit.ly/2gv7iwj

Stitcher: http://bit.ly/2gCqtFg

Listen above or through one of these podcast services:

MEDCAC Panel Mostly Endorses PROs for CAR T Therapies

Many Questions to Ask in Setting National Coverage for CAR T Therapies

NCCN Report on CAR T-Cell Therapy, Recommendations for Future Use

With Approval of CAR T-Cell Therapy Comes the Next Challenge: Payer Coverage

Learn more about CAR T:

Recent Videos
Tami John, MD
Tami John, MD
Tami John, MD
Matthew Ku, MBBS, FRACP, RACP, FRCPA/RCPA, PhD, an associate professor and the lymphoma stream lead at St Vincent’s Hospital
Saurabh Dahiya, MD, FACP, an associate professor of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine; as well as clinical director of Cancer Cell Therapy in the Division of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Cell Therapy at Stanford Medicine
Shahzad Raza, MD, a hematologist/oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic
Manali Kamdar, MD, the associate professor of medicine–hematology and clinical director of lymphoma services at the University of Colorado
Shahzad Raza, MD, a hematologist/oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic
Laura Aguilar MD, PhD, the chief medical officer of Diakonos Oncology
Jamie Jacobs, PhD, the program director of the center for psychiatric oncology & behavioral sciences at Mass General Cancer Center
Related Content
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.