Virtual care boosts access and safety for antigen-specific immunotherapies, improving patient outcomes.
Table of contents
Enhancing Accessibility and Safety of Antigen-Specific Immunotherapies through Virtual Care
Antigen-Specific Immunotherapies (ASI) like CAR T cells and BiTEs have revolutionized cancer treatment by harnessing the immune system's antitumor capacity, becoming life-saving options for hematological malignancies (Morris et al., 2020) and beyond. Their success represents a significant advancement in cancer treatment, complementing traditional methods like chemotherapy and radiotherapy (Edeline et al., 2021).
There is currently a growing expectation to expand ASI beyond specialized academic centers into broader community settings, including district general hospitals, large private hospitals, and regional cancer treatment centers. This expansion aims to increase accessibility and availability of these treatments to benefit people. Streamlining manufacturing and distribution processes is essential to achieve this goal and is currently underway (Edeline et al., 2021; De Bousser et al., 2021; Fierce Pharma, 2023).
However, 30-70% of patients experience significant toxicities such as Cytokine Release Syndrome (CRS) and Immune effector Cell-Associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome (ICANS) (Morris et al., 2020; Martin et al., 2023). These adverse effects necessitate careful monitoring and management to mitigate risks, requiring multidisciplinary teams to conduct assessments, monitor for adverse effects, and manage these toxicities effectively (Edeline et al., 2021; De Bousser et al., 2021; Sievers et al., 2020). This in the context of the healthcare systems are mostly working at full capacity.
But how?
Virtual care and telemedicine, utilising digital health tools, can enhance healthcare access and patient monitoring by managing toxicities, expanding treatment availability, and improving patient experiences during immunotherapy from their home (Haleem et al., 2022). Enabling at-home management of immunotherapies allows real-time monitoring of CRS and ICANS, reducing the need for in-person visits. High-frequency data collection through these tools establishes best practices and ensures safer treatments and insights into how these treatments work in real world settings. Research shows that outpatient CAR-T therapy is as safe and effective as inpatient care, highlighting virtual care's potential to improve clinical outcomes and reduce costs (Hansen et al., 2023).
ASI represents a monumental leap in cancer treatment, and integrating virtual care and at home management can significantly enhance their accessibility and safety. These advancements promise a brighter future for cancer patients, with more effective and widely available therapies. Bringing together researchers, academics, clinicians, and the pharmaceutical industry will be paramount to implement digital health technologies for remote patient monitoring. This collaboration will improve therapy access, side effect management, and patient experience, setting a new benchmark for patient-centered care in oncology.
References
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