M Health Fairview offers new treatment against certain types of melanoma
Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) are your body’s natural cancer-fighting cells. They enter a tumor and learn how to destroy the cancer cells. But sometimes there aren’t enough existing TILs to outpace the cancerous cells’ growth.
Decades ago, medical researchers figured out how to replicate the body’s own TILs quickly in a lab. It’s particularly useful in controlling melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer. Now the therapy is available at M Health Fairview.
“It's actually a fairly crude therapy,” said Benjamin Manning, MD., a medical oncologist with M Health Fairview and an associate professor with the University of Minnesota Medical School. “It's not a fancy engineered T-cell. It's the patient's own immune cells and we’re basically giving large volumes of them.”
Here’s how it works: Doctors surgically remove the largest melanoma tumor they can, then separate the TILs from it. The TILs, which are already programmed to fight that particular cancer, are sent to a lab where they are replicated. After about a month, the lab sends back billions of your own cells then they’re returned to your body in a one-time infusion. Like an army defending its land, you now have billions more soldiers helping with your attack.
Promising clinical trials led to accelerated FDA approval
The treatment, called AMTAGVI, is for people with previously treated melanoma that has spread or cannot be removed by surgery. The treatment earned accelerated approval from the FDA because clinical trials have been so promising. That means the data supports increasing access to the potentially life-saving treatment even while the clinical trial wraps up.
But that also means the therapy is available at a limited number of infusion centers with the experience and expertise to safely administer it. M Health Fairview Masonic Cancer Center was one of the clinical trial sites. The treatment is also available to eligible patients outside of the trial.
Nearly one-third of study participants had at least some reduction in the size of their tumors. Tumors disappeared completely for several participants. For about 40%, there was no sign of the cancer spreading or getting bigger one year after the infusion.
Research suggests that TIL therapy is most effective if given before the cancer has spread to many other parts of the body, especially the liver or brain, and when tumors are still small. Ongoing research is testing whether TIL therapy is effective as a first-line treatment for melanoma. It’s also being tested against advanced lung, ovarian and head and neck cancers
What to expect with TIL therapy
While the infusion is a one-time event, several steps are involved, Manning said. First, you have to go through a number of medical tests to ensure your body is healthy enough for the infusion. Before the infusion, you will be in the hospital for seven days of lympho-depleting chemotherapy, which makes room for the new cells in the immune system. It’s after that the infusion can take place.
Expect to stay in the hospital for another week after the infusion while you get up to six doses of interleukin 2, which are molecules that your immune system makes to help promote growth and survival of the TILs.
“Interleukin 2 is the chemical in the body that makes you feel pretty crummy when you have the flu,” Manning said. “People often feel pretty sick during that period of the treatment. We keep you in the hospital so we can help you with supportive fluids and nausea medication, and we try to keep the fever down.”
Learn more about cancer care from M Health Fairview
The cancer care experts at M Health Fairview take a personalized approach to cancer. We keep your treatment one step ahead and all in one place — providing a coordinated care experience that puts you at the center of your care. You can also be part of clinical breakthroughs by participating in cancer research trials.
To schedule an appointment with one of our melanoma specialists for consideration of TIL therapy, please call 1-855-486-7226.
