Establishment of Subspecialized Care in Hematologic Malignancies and a Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Program
Authors: Copelan Edward A. , Gerber Jonathan M. , Usmani Saad Z , Grunwald Michael R. , Ghosh Nilanjan , Fasan Omotayo O. , Bhutani Manisha , Symanowski James T , Raghavan Derek , Avalos Belinda R. 
Published: October 2019

Introduction

Access to appropriate healthcare close to home is a national and global problem with huge geographic variation in availability of subspecialized care and specific therapies, as illustrated by hematopoietic cell transplantation rates [Gratwohl, et al. Lancet Hematol, 2015]. Disease-specific physician specialization appears to improve outcomes in hematologic malignancies [Go, et al. Mayo Clin Proc, 2015]. Charlotte is the 2nd largest city in the Southeastern United States and 17th largest in the US, yet subspecialized care in hematologic malignancies including a leukemia unit and hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) program were non-existent 3 years ago. The closest HCT program was a 90-minute drive from Charlotte. Many patients lacked the resources or willingness to travel to a transplant center and died of potentially curable diseases. Establishment of a transplantation program, in particular, requires a substantial upfront investment, broad infrastructure and highly specialized interdisciplinary care. Better transplant outcomes have been associated with higher numbers of procedures [Loberiza, et al. Blood, 2005], but programs established over the last decade have struggled to attract adequate numbers of patients to support the required investment.

Methods

In 2011 Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS), which serves as a healthcare safety net for the region, decided to develop the Levine Cancer Institute as a primary through quaternary referral and treatment center, integrated through more than 12 sites, with a key focus being a program in HCT. The Department of Hematologic Malignancies and Blood Disorders was established in September 2012. We envisioned that the development of specialized care in leukemia, lymphoma, and plasma cell disorders, as well as more complex non-malignant hematologic disorders, would improve the quality of care for patients with those diseases, attract larger volumes of patients, and serve to identify patients appropriate for HCT in a timely manner. A 16 bed hematologic malignancies unit housed in a protected environment was constructed and completed in January 2014.

Results

Starting with 4 general hematologists, the department has grown over 4 years to include 23 faculty members, 14 of whom provide subspecialized care in hematologic malignancies and HCT. Patient volumes have grown more than six-fold during this time. The HCT Program performed its first transplant in March 2014, with a total of 60 transplants performed in 2014 and 81 in 2015. The HCT Program is on pace to perform over 100 transplants in 2016. The program received FACT accreditation in 2016, a little more than 2 years after the first HCT was performed. The age range of patients undergoing transplantation is from 22 to 76 (median 58) years. Sixty-nine percent of transplants have been autologous and 31% allogeneic, of which 65% were from haploidentical related donors. The proportion of transplants which are allogeneic is steadily increasing. More than 90% of patients who have undergone transplantation were referred through a disease-specific section. Non-relapse mortality (NRM) at 1 year is 1.8% for autologous transplants and 9.4% for allogeneic transplants, with survival rates at 1 year of 95.6% and 80.8% respectively. Notably, there is no difference in NRM (P=0.86), relapse-free survival (P=0.85), or overall survival (P=0.47) between HLA-identical and haploidentical transplant recipients.

Conclusions

Three years ago, for patients in Charlotte, access to subspecialized care in hematologic malignancies and HCT required significant travel. The development and growth of a program that provides disease-specific care in hematologic malignancies has overcome this barrier and has provided a base for growth of a newly established program in HCT. These developments have elevated the quality of care in hematologic malignancies in the Charlotte area and permit patients to receive appropriate and complex care close to home.

Disclosures

Gerber: Janssen: Research Funding; Alexion: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Spectrum: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Seattle Genetics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Usmani:Takeda: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Pharmacyclics: Research Funding; Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Millenium: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; BioPharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Sanofi: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Array: Research Funding; Amgen: Consultancy, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Onyx: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Britsol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Research Funding; Janssen: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Skyline: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau. Grunwald:Amgen: Research Funding; Incyte Corporation: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Ariad: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Forma Therapeutics: Research Funding; Medtronic: Equity Ownership; Janssen: Research Funding; Alexion: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Ghosh:Pharmacyclics LLC, an AbbVie Company: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; SGN: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Gilead: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Bristol Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Genentech: Research Funding; TG Therapeutics: Research Funding. Bhutani:Prothena: Research Funding; Takeda Oncology: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Speakers Bureau; Onyx, an Amgen subsidiary: Speakers Bureau. Symanowski:Endocyte: Consultancy; Eli Lilly & Co: Consultancy; Ra Pharma: Consultancy; Caris Life Sciences: Consultancy. Raghavan:Gerson Lehrman: Consultancy; Caris Life Sciences: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Avalos:Seattle Genetics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.