New immune-cell therapy in AZ helps combat synovial sarcoma

A patient with synovial sarcoma, a soft-tissue cancer that usually occurs in the large joints of the arms and legs, is the first in Arizona to be treated with a new immune-cell therapy known as TECELRA at the HonorHealth Research Institute.

This new cell therapy targets a protein associated with the MAGEA4 gene, which is commonly expressed in synovial sarcoma and often occurs in the extremities, such as in the knees, though it can occur almost anywhere in the body.

This new drug is the first and only one-time treatment for advanced synovial sarcoma that enhances parts of the immune system to target and destroy cancer cells. Known as a genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy, it is made from the patient’s own white blood cells.

Justin Moser, M.D., HonorHealth Research Institute, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss more on the breakthrough research on synovial sarcoma.