Bispecific antibodies for targeted immunotherapy cancer treatment arrives in the Midwest
WA Country Health Service is excited to celebrate a new milestone in regional cancer care with the delivery of targeted immunotherapy medication – bispecific antibodies – for the first time.
Recently, Roy Wolczyk was the first regional patient to undergo a new cancer treatment for his lymphoma at a WA Country Health Service site.
Bispecific antibodies are a form of targeted immunotherapy used to treat both haematological (in the blood) and solid tumours.
The 73-year-old had previously been travelling to Perth to receive the treatment but was excited to learn he’d be able to continue receiving it closer to home at Geraldton Health Campus.
“I was really pleased when they told me that I could get the treatment up here in Geraldton,” he said.
“It’s good to have the service up here, it’s what we need, and it feels more personable.”
The treatment was administered by the Midwest Cancer Services team and Roy is still smiling about the care he received.
“The staff are absolutely brilliant up here, they were all so lovely,” Roy said.
“They took really good care of me. I’ve got the photo of all of us, with the nurses, on the wall at home.”
WA Country Health Service Director of Haematology Dr Tony Calogero said the treatment works by binding white blood cells with cancer cells.
“It brings the t-lymphocyte, which is the cancer killer cell, in proximity to the cancer cell,” he said.
“This means that the body’s own immune system – the t-cell – is able to kill the cancer cell.”
Dr Calogero said the ability for regional hospitals to provide the treatment was an important part of providing equitable cancer care.
“Often the therapy with these medications go on for a long time or indefinitely, patients could be receiving it once a fortnight or once a month,” he said.
“Being able to deliver this treatment in country WA means patients can stay in their communities, they can do their job, spend time with their family and still receive the care they need.”
Geraldton is the first country location to support delivery of the medication with rollout of the treatment planned for other sites.
“You need to have a site that has the appropriate clinical acuity and complexity to support delivery, and Geraldton Health Campus matches that criteria,” Dr Calogero said.
“We’ve also got a few sites in mind that we’re looking at for the possibility of future rollout of the bispecific antibodies - Bunbury, Albany and Kalgoorlie.”
Dr Calogero praised the multiple teams working collaboratively to help make the treatment available to country patients.
“The WA Country Health Service Cancer Services team and the nurse practitioner have all put a huge amount of effort into getting this off the ground.
“The Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Haematology team has been very proactive in providing on-site education and ensuring the safe and effective delivery of the treatment,” he said.