Kansas City, Kan- Key points from today’s guests:

Morning Rounds – Updates on the Latest News

Dr. Shawn Sood, pediatric critical care physician, The University of Kansas Health System

• We're entering that time where viruses are more prevalent. So, the best way to protect yourself and your family is get vaccinated. Wash your hands, stay home if you're sick, and if someone's sick around you, try to avoid them if possible.
• Now is a great time to get the flu shot for you or your child. It takes about two weeks after that shot to develop that armor of antibodies, before peak flu season really hits us.
• The flu shot does help prevent hospitalization and reduces the severity of symptoms. I encourage all kids and adults to get the flu shot.
• Peak RSV season is really in the wintertime – mid-December to February – and so we're already starting to see some cases. It starts in the fall, peaks in the winter and ends in the spring.
• With kids in RSV, they usually have a little bit more rapid breathing. With flu, you can have muscle aches, body aches, a higher fever and headache. But with RSV, you really look for that shallow, rapid breathing,
• For kids with asthma, these viruses can be triggers for an asthma attack. Asthmatics are more prone to pneumonia than non-asthmatics. A leading cause of hospitalization and ICU care for asthmatics is pneumonia.
• If your child has asthma, there's two things you can do. Number one is follow your written asthma action plan, and so if you notice that your child is having symptoms like shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing or chest tightness, follow that written asthma action plan and adjust medications as necessary.
• If you don't have a written asthma action plan, talk to your child's pediatrician to get one written up before the peak RSV and flu season starts.
• The second thing is, if your child has asthma and you think they have developed flu, talk to your healthcare provider, because there are certain antiviral medications you can give that will reduce the severity and symptoms of the flu.

Focus Topic

David Frantze, treated for multiple myeloma with CAR T-cell therapy

• A tick bite in 2017 led to hospitalization, where a test found that he was anemic.
• He was referred to a cancer specialist who diagnosed him with multiple myeloma, an incurable disease.
• In 2018, he underwent a bone marrow transplant and was doing well. But four years later, his health started to go downhill.
• By 2022, there was a newly FDA-approved CAR-T therapy to treat multiple myeloma.
• David underwent that therapy, where a machine removes infection-fighting white blood cells, or T cells, from his blood. Those cells are overnighted to scientists in a lab who multiply and modify them, adding a lab made cancer fighting gene to each cell.
• He just completed his two-year post-treatment tests and no metabolically active multiple myeloma cells were detected.
• David said that CAR-T has dramatically turned the tables on multiple myeloma.
• He re-emphasizes the need for having our Comprehensive Cancer Center here – he didn't have to go anywhere. He was able to stay in the community and receive the most advanced treatment in the world.

Dr. Al-Ola Abdallah, hematologist, and oncologist; clinical director, Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapeutics, The University of Kansas Cancer Center

• Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer in our immune system, which is the white blood cells we have like the plasma cells that produce antibodies to fight infection.
• We don't know what causes it. Is it genetics? Is it exposure to chemicals, pesticides, radiation therapy? They're still unknown.
• These plasma cells start producing defective antibodies and it damages things like the bone marrow and also it can damage the bone itself, causing bone pain and fractures. It can damage the kidney and cause kidney damages, and also can cause infection, because it can get overwhelmed. Historically, this has been difficult to treat.
• The CAR-T therapy is a one-time treatment, so it can improve the quality of life because there is no weekly IV chemotherapy or injections.
• The University of Kansas Health System is one of the first sites in the world to offer this treatment.
• Since this treatment was only approved two years ago, it is going to take us years to fully understand the benefits.
• We have many specialists in myeloma and CAR-T, and we're happy always to answer questions and provide consultation to make sure that patients are making the right decisions.

Zahra Mahmoudjafari, PharmD., clinical pharmacy manager, The University of Kansas Cancer Center

• One of the challenges that we face with chemotherapy is the fact that these patients often experience more widespread side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, hair loss – so it affects normal, healthy cells.
• The other challenge with traditional chemotherapy is that patients have to either take the medication by mouth or intravenously for multiple cycles. So that can be really challenging for patients and come at a significant cost as well.
• CAR-T is a one-time infusion, so that is better for the patient. It harnesses the patient's own immune cells, and so it can be a lot more specific to the patient's disease. It’s definitely another tool in the tool kit, and something that we are learning a lot more about.
• There's active research being done for cell therapies in the auto immune space, including many which are actively being conducted here. We're looking forward to seeing how those improve patient care.