A mother, who is a cancer patient, is hugging her young daughter as they both look out the window of their home.

Advanced Cell Therapy Cancer Treatment Close By.

Cellular Therapy

Your partner for cell therapy cancer treatments.

When you need cancer treatment, you want care teams that stay on the leading-edge of science. Novant Health Cancer Institute specialists are among the nation’s leaders in developing new ways to fight cancer using your own immune system or cells from a donor.

Cellular Therapy Specialists

Explore Our Locations

Request an Appointment

What is Cellular Therapy?

Novant Health Cancer Institute is among a small group of cancer treatment centers in the United States that are accredited for providing transformational cell therapies and immune effector cell therapies to cancer patients.

Cell therapy is a form of immunotherapy regularly used to treat certain forms of blood cancers as well as some testicular, ovarian and brain cancers. Novant Health is one of the few cancer care locations expanding this treatment to other diseases, such as Sjogren’s Syndrome.

What is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation?

A bone marrow or stem cell transplant replaces diseased or damaged bone marrow with healthy bone marrow cells. There are two main types of transplants:

Autologous transplant involves using your own bone marrow or stem cells
Allogeneic transplant uses bone marrow or stem cells from another person

What are bone marrow and stem cells?

Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside bones that produces all blood cells. A stem cell (immature blood cell) is the specific cell within the bone marrow that can develop into white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets.

Find Cellular Therapy Specialists

What to Expect With Your Stem Cell Transplant

Step 1: Pre-Transplant Evaluation

During your initial visit to Novant Health Cancer Institute, you will meet with a specialist in stem cell transplantation. Your doctor will review your medical history, perform a physical exam and, if transplantation is appropriate for you, recommend a treatment plan.

At the start of the pre-transplant process, you will meet with members of your transplant team including:

A transplant coordinator that will guide you through the process and arrange all appointments and tests.
A financial coordinator who will work with your insurance company to ensure your transplant costs are covered.
A social worker who will help identify any potential obstacles or special needs and set up resources.

Because the process involves high doses of chemotherapy that destroys cancer cells, your physician will conduct several lab tests to determine if you're healthy enough to undergo a stem cell transplant. We’ll check your heart, kidneys and lungs to ensure they are functioning normally and you don’t have an infection. These tests may include blood and urine tests, EKG, chest x-ray, pulmonary function tests and a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy.

Step 2: Stem Cell Mobilization & Collection

If you are using your own cells (called an autologous stem cell transplant), a flexible hollow tube, called a catheter, will be inserted into a vein beneath your collarbone. This provides a painless way for you to receive chemotherapy, fluids or any other drugs you may need as well as stem cells.

Stem Cell Mobilization using a hormone called G-CSF is how we stimulate your stem cells to leave the bone marrow and circulate in the blood. You may receive this treatment for a period of three to ten days with or without another medication.

Once mobilization is complete you will undergo stem cell collection. We use an apheresis machine to separate out the stem cells then return your blood to your body. Each apheresis procedure takes three to five hours and may occur over one to four days.

Step 3: Chemotherapy, Stem Cell Infusion & Follow-up Care

To prepare your body to receive healthy stem cells, we first destroy cancer cells through high doses of chemotherapy or a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Next, stem cells are inserted into your bloodstream through your catheter. These transplanted stem cells will travel through your blood to your bone marrow where they will grow and develop into new mature blood cells. It takes several weeks before the mature blood cells return to a healthy level. During this time, you will need close monitoring and extra protection from infections and bleeding.

Allogeneic transplant process

The process of using cells from a donor (allogeneic transplant) is similar to autologous therapy except the cell collection is performed on the donor, not you.

Once you receive the new stem cells, our team will keep a close eye on your recovery as your new immune system takes form over the next year. Allogeneic therapy may be your best chance for a cure, but you can also be at risk for infections or possible damage to parts of your liver, skin or lungs from stem cell rejection (called graft versus host disease). Our compassionate team of experts will be there with you every step of the way to ensure a safe road to recovery.

Additional Advanced Cell Therapies

Immune effector cell program

Most immune systems have the natural ability to identify and eliminate abnormal cells in your body, like cancer cells. When cancer cells go undetected, new treatments like immune effector cell therapies can transform yours or a donor’s immune system cells into cancer-killing cells. The Novant Health Cancer team is among the nation’s leaders in developing and using these therapies to treat your cancer.

CAR-T cell therapy

Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cells (CAR-T cells) are approved to treat some types of cancer, including Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, Mantle Cell Lymphoma, Follicular Lymphoma, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and Multiple Myeloma. Novant Health Cancer Institute participates in studies using this treatment and others to target multiple types of cancers, giving you access to the latest treatments available.

Why Choose Novant Health?

Our highly skilled providers have devoted their careers to providing you with remarkable hematology care. We’re here for you with a team of experienced doctors, nurses, geneticists, and other blood specialists to provide compassionate support and the multidisciplinary care you need. We stay on top of the latest research to ensure you have access to the most advanced treatments to manage your blood condition and live life to the fullest.

A nurse is leaning over talking with a senior woman patient.

Advancements in hemophilia treatments and medicines for blood conditions can give you a new way to fight your disease. Novant Health hematologists participate in studies and programs dedicated to helping you live better with or overcome blood disorders. Through our participation in Community Counts (CDC), a public health monitoring program funded by the CDC division of blood disorders, we share real-world data to help pioneer new and better treatments.

A Novant Health team member is reviewing patient information.

Managing a non-malignant blood condition is often a lifetime commitment. You’ll receive compassionate care at a Novant Health federally designated Hemophilia Treatment Center (HTC) for adults. HTCs are multidisciplinary comprehensive clinics providing holistic care for bleeding disorders. Your care team will include visits with a hematologist, social worker, pharmacist, and physical therapist.

Dr. Kelso talking to a patient with her hand on the patient's shoulder

Clinical Cell Therapy Research Trials

Novant Health is a leading participant in new cancer research focused on the next generation of immunotherapies.

You'll have access to clinical trials researching the best new therapies for curing cancer including Natural Killer Cell studies, new ‘bi-specific’ antibodies and cytokine-stimulated cell therapies for pancreatic, brain and other cancers.

Find a Clinical Trial