Halifax hospital offers new cutting-edge cancer treatment, a first in Atlantic Canada

The Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre is the first facility to offer the groundbreaking treatment in the province

CITYnews halifax \ Rafe Wright

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Nova Scotia will officially be the first province in Atlantic Canada to offer a cutting-edge new cancer treatment. 

In March, the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre became the first facility in the region to offer CAR-T cell therapy locally to the public.

CAR, (Chimeric Antigen Receptor) -T cell therapy is a highly personalized type of cancer treatment called immunotherapy. It involves collecting and genetically modifying a patient’s immune cells to be able to fight their cancer.

Dr. Mahmoud Elsawy, a hematologist and medical director at the Nova Scotia Health Authority, said the new treatment presents a paradigm shift in how we treat cancer.

“It’s considered a living drug because once infused in the patient, the genetically engineered T-cells continue multiplying and fighting cancer and may even persist inside the body for long periods,” said Elsawy.

“It is a lifeline for patients with certain kinds of blood cancer when traditional treatments stop working.”

The program was made possible after an investment of $6.7 million from the provincial government – an amount it has pledged to donate annually.

Dr. Sudeep Shivakumar, interim head of the division of Hematology and Hematologic Oncology at Dalhousie University, said the field of treating patients with hematologic cancers is moving rapidly.

“We are pleased to work closely with the government to increase our ability to offer novel therapies to our growing population,” Shivakumar said.

CAR-T cell therapy is currently approved for some types of blood cancers once traditional chemo or immunotherapy stop working. The process begins by collecting T-cells from a patient’s own blood, which are then sent to a manufacturing facility in the U.S. to be genetically engineered to attack cancer cells.

The cells are grown in large numbers and sent back to the hospital to be infused in the patient.

Patients receiving this therapy are generally in hospital for about three weeks following infusion of the genetically engineered T-cells, as the potential for serious side effects generally occur within this timeframe.

After being discharged from the hospital, patients are then closely monitored for a period of time as outpatients.

Patients are also given clear direction on when symptoms are serious and when they should go to the hospital.

Charles Jesso was the first patient in the province to receive the treatment.

“I am grateful for this treatment because I was out of options,” said Jesso.

“I am also grateful that I didn’t have to travel out of the country to receive it.”

Despite having the treatment in N.S., the recovery process has still been a struggle, Jesso added.

“The treatment is working, but it’s a long road to recovery. I’m looking forward to 10 months from now when I plan to be well enough to go back to work,” he said.

Dr. Helmut Hollenhorst, medical director at Nova Scotia Health Cancer Care Program, said the team who worked over the past year to establish this program are to be commended.

“Establishing the CAR-T cell therapy program in N.S. during the pandemic speaks volumes about the dedication and commitment of teams in hematology and hematologic oncology, intensive care and neurology, to ensuring N.S. patients with cancer have access to transformative, personalized cancer treatments in their home province,” said Hollenhurst

“It required extensive training of many teams to be certified as a site to deliver CAR-T cell therapy.”