Two new animated patient information videos designed to help and support UK patients undergoing CAR T-cell therapy have been launched by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The short easy-to-follow videos provide a step-by-step guide to how the treatment works and common side effects.
The videos use animation and simple imagery to present a complex scientific treatment and medical journey into digestible, easy-to-understand information. They have been translated into 19 languages.
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals is one of 20 designated adult CAR T centres in the UK.
CAR T-cell therapy is currently approved for certain types of blood cancer such as acute lymphoblastic lymphoma and B cell lymphomas in patients who have not responded to traditional treatments. It is also being trialled in patients with certain autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis and lupus who haven’t responded to existing treatments and whose disability is worsening.
CAR T-cell therapy works by reprogramming a patient’s immune system with T-cells. These are first removed from the body and then sent to a lab to be manufactured into CAR T-cells, with new instructions to destroy cancer. Once infused into the patient’s body, they act as a living drug, hunting down and destroying cancer cells to prevent the disease from returning. During CAR T-cell therapy, treatment to control the disease is given whilst the cells are being developed.
The videos were developed in collaboration with specialist nursing, medical and pharmacy staff at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital who have significant experience in delivering the highly complex treatment.
It is also hoped the videos will better support initial discussions between clinicians in referring centres with patients considering CAR T-cell therapy as a possible treatment option.
Dr Nick Morley, Clinical Director for Haematology at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals said: “As one of the UK’s specialist CAR T-cell therapy centres, we are delighted to have used our expertise to help patients, families and carers better understand what to expect when undergoing CAR T-cell therapy.
“The role of CAR T-cell therapy as a potential treatment for autoimmune conditions such as lupus and multiple sclerosis is also notching up a gear, with UK centres such as ours bringing in trials to test this in patients who have failed existing treatments. We hope the videos will act as a key resource for many years to come.”
