UVA Cancer Center is the first health care provider in Virginia to offer patients with small cell lung cancer a newly approved immunotherapy that supercharges the body’s immune system to fight disease.
The federal Food and Drug Administration in May approved the drug tarlatamab for patients who have exhausted other treatment options. Just 26 days later, UVA Cancer Center began using the medication, which early studies show is extending the lifespan of patients with late-stage disease. Since FDA approval, 16 patients have received the treatment at UVA Cancer Center.
“This treatment requires intensive monitoring and careful coordination among a large team of care providers,” Dr. Ryan Gentzler, a UVA Health lung cancer specialist, said. “We were able to treat our first patient so quickly after FDA approval thanks to successful collaboration and interdisciplinary efforts among our nurses, pharmacists, information technology team members and social workers.”
Dr. Ryan Gentzler, a UVA Health lung cancer specialist, credits cooperation between nurses, pharmacists, social workers and the information technology team for the center’s quick adoption of tarlatamab treatments. (Contributed photo)
Doctors credit the UVA Cancer Center’s nurse navigator program, which simplifies and streamlines the approval process by guiding patients through the steps required to receive tarlatamab. Nurse navigators schedule appointments and manage referrals from doctors across Virginia and beyond, as well as handle other logistics.
“Our nurse navigators are just one example of how our team comes together to bring the latest advances in cancer care to our patients,” Dr. Richard Hall, a UVA Health lung cancer specialist, said. “Our thoracic oncology team is on the cutting edge of cancer treatments, and our experienced team has the expertise required to be among the first in the nation to offer groundbreaking new therapies like tarlatamab to our patients.”
UVA Cancer Center is one of 56 U.S. cancer centers to receive a “comprehensive” designation from the National Cancer Institute. The recognition honors elite cancer centers with the most outstanding cancer care and research programs in the country.
Patients looking to learn more about receiving tarlatamab at UVA Cancer Center can call 434-924-9333.
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December 30, 2024
