After a 15-year grind with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Shelby Township resident Marie Hindee finally had a reason to dance. Fresh off a clear PET scan, she broke into a celebratory routine in the waiting room at Corewell Health’s Royal Oak hospital, where she had received a one-time CAR T-cell infusion. The scan showed a clinical response that left Hindee and her care team openly celebrating a new wave of hope at Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak.
Hindee was first diagnosed in 2010 at age 62 with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma. She spent years cycling through chemotherapy and targeted agents until those options were exhausted. Her medical team then collected her T cells, engineered them into lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel), and infused the modified cells back into her after a short course of preparative chemotherapy. After her first post-treatment scan, Hindee told ClickOnDetroit, "I still do not have cancer."
How CAR T-cell therapy works
In CAR T therapy, a patient’s own T cells are removed and reengineered with a chimeric antigen receptor that helps them recognize and attack cancer cells. The altered cells are multiplied in a lab, then returned to the patient as a one-time infusion. This personalized approach has been shown to produce deep, sometimes long-lasting remissions in cancers that have failed standard therapies. As outlined by Corewell Health, patients typically receive a short course of pre-infusion chemotherapy and are monitored closely in the days and weeks after the cells are returned.
FDA approval opened the door
Lisocabtagene maraleucel, marketed as Breyanzi, received accelerated approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March 2024 for certain adults with relapsed or refractory CLL and SLL. Bristol Myers Squibb described the decision as a major shift in the treatment landscape for these hard-to-treat blood cancers. The approval was based on response rates from the TRANSCEND CLL 004 study and opens the door for more hospitals to offer the one-time therapy to eligible patients. The company laid out the indication and safety profile in a March 14, 2024 release from Bristol Myers Squibb.
Side effects and what to expect
Clinicians caution that CAR T is powerful but not gentle. The treatment can trigger flu-like symptoms, fever, low blood pressure and fatigue, and some patients develop neurologic issues such as confusion or seizures that call for intensive monitoring and supportive care. "People may have like flu-like symptoms, ache, fever, chills, low blood pressure, increased heart rate, flushing, and fatigue," Dr. Ishmael Jaiyesimi told ClickOnDetroit. He noted that the biggest upside is the high remission rate and the possibility that a single infusion can remain effective for some patients.
For Metro Detroit patients, having CAR T available at Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital means a complex, often life-changing therapy is now within local reach, potentially sparing families the cost and disruption of long-distance travel. The hospital’s program focuses on multidisciplinary care, close monitoring for complications and robust support for patients and caregivers, according to Corewell Health. Hindee says her recovery has let her travel with her husband and set new goals, a personal reminder that the blood-cancer treatment landscape is shifting quickly.
