North Louisiana patients can now access groundbreaking blood cancer treatment close to home

What is CAR T cell therapy?

The immune system serves as the body’s primary defense against disease by continuously identifying and responding to abnormal cells and other threats. In patients with blood cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, malignant cells can evade these defenses and progress.

CAR T therapy is designed to enhance the immune system’s ability to recognize and target cancer cells more effectively.

Here's how it works: Physicians collect a small number of a patient's own infection-fighting white blood cells, called T-cells, from their blood. Those cells are sent to a specialized laboratory, where scientists engineer them to recognize and attack the specific proteins found on the patient's cancer cells. The newly modified cells are then multiplied and infused back into the patient's bloodstream, where they go to work seeking and destroying cancer.

In simple terms, CAR T therapy takes your own cells, trains them to fight your specific cancer, and sends them back in. It is like a targeted, living medicine made just for you.

A breakthrough for North Louisiana

Ochsner LSU Health is the sole provider of CAR T therapy and other blood cancer treatments in the region. Having advanced treatments available locally reduces the burden of travel for patients in North Louisiana and the surrounding communities.

Research shows that when patients can receive cancer treatment close to home, supported by their families and communities, health outcomes improve. Patients who maintain strong social support systems are more likely to complete their treatment plans, manage side effects effectively and experience better overall quality of life during and after care.

“This is a defining moment for healthcare in North Louisiana,” said David Callecod, Ochsner LSU Health CEO. “Our community deserves access to the same life-saving treatments available anywhere in the country, and we are proud to deliver exactly that. When a family in our region receives this level of care close to home, we are fulfilling our mission of providing access to the most advanced levels of care to everyone in our community.”