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

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.