Advancing CAR T Collaborative Care Pathways Across the Northeast-CAR T Collaborative Care Webinar

Video Transcription

Video Summary

This webinar from ACCC focused on strengthening collaborative care pathways for CAR T-cell therapy, with an emphasis on early referral, care coordination, and post-treatment management between academic CAR T centers and community oncology practices. Faculty from Wilmot Cancer Center, a community oncology group in Albany, Dana-Farber, and a geriatric oncology team discussed the evolving CAR T landscape, including improved outcomes from second-line CAR T in lymphoma and the importance of reducing “brain-to-vein” time.  <br /><br />Speakers highlighted the REFER framework: recognize relapsed/refractory disease, assess age and comorbidities, evaluate caregiver support, refer urgently, and plan for return to local care. They reviewed patient workup, bridging therapy, toxicity monitoring, infection prophylaxis, IVIG, vaccination timing, and the role of local centers in follow-up after infusion.  <br /><br />Dr. Lo emphasized that age alone should not exclude patients from CAR T and described geriatric assessment as a tool to identify vulnerabilities and guide supportive interventions. Lauren Denoyer outlined the nurse navigator’s role in coordinating the full journey and ensuring a structured handoff back to community providers.  <br /><br />A case discussion reinforced that strong communication, timely referral, and flexibility around patient needs are essential, especially when disease is rapidly progressing or travel is difficult.

Keywords

CAR T-cell therapy

collaborative care pathways

early referral

care coordination

post-treatment management

community oncology

geriatric assessment

brain-to-vein time

infection prophylaxis