Rick Schneider feels both lucky and blessed—lucky that he chose to buy a home just a mile from MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in 1999, and blessed that, 20 years later, this proximity led him to seek care there when a diagnosis of metastatic melanoma threatened his life.
“MedStar Georgetown’s reputation for cancer treatment is huge,” says Rick, “so it was an easy decision to choose them to help me in this life-and-death battle. To be able to access this amazing expertise so close to my home was a real gift.”
After six years of battling cancer and failing with numerous interventions, Rick, 57 and the father of three, finally benefited from a new therapy that uses a patient’s own tumor and immune system to fight metastatic melanoma. MedStar Georgetown is the first and only hospital in the region to offer tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy for patients with melanoma whose disease progressed on other therapies.
Rick’s journey began with changes to a small mole on the back of his arm that he’d had throughout his life. The dermatologist who examined him suggested he return for periodic checks. Eighteen months later, a biopsy identified Stage 1 melanoma, but the disease rapidly worsened. Within a year, Rick received a diagnosis of Stage 4 cancer that had spread to his liver.
He scheduled a second opinion with Michael B. Atkins, MD, deputy director of Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and co-director of the Melanoma Center at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and the melanoma research program within the MedStar Georgetown Cancer Institute.
“Dr. Atkins’ approach to cancer was inspiring,” notes Rick. “He tried several interventions for the cancer, and the treatment I received put me into remission for over three years. When it did return, I was never discouraged, because Dr. Atkins always had a backup plan. That’s why, when the FDA approved TIL therapy, he referred me to another MedStar Georgetown rock star, Dr. Geoffrey Gibney.”
“TIL therapy is a person-specific cellular immunotherapy,” explains Geoffrey Gibney, MD, director of the Solid Tumor Cellular Therapy program and co-leader of the Melanoma Disease Group at MedStar Georgetown. “It involves extracting and reinvigorating a special type of white blood cell called T lymphocytes from the patient’s tumor. Lymphocytes generally help the body’s immune system fight infection and disease.”
During the first step of TIL therapy, surgeons remove the tumor. Rick’s surgical team included Shimae Fitzgibbons, MD, the primary surgeon. After the tumor is removed, it is processed in a specialized laboratory where the TIL cells from the tumor are grown in a culture to over 7.5 billion cancer-fighting immune cells. The TIL cells are then infused back into the patient to target and attack cancer cells anywhere in the body.
“TIL therapy for melanoma is a breakthrough therapy because it elicits responses in up to a third of patients where other therapies have failed,” says Dr. Gibney. “This treatment offers incredible hope for patients with advanced melanoma, providing a chance for lasting remission and improved outcomes. It has the potential to extend life and improve quality of life in ways we have never seen before.”
The single infusion in October stopped the progression of the disease and changed the course of Rick’s life. “I quickly bounced back,” he says, “and was able to resume the activities I love, like hiking, biking, and skiing. I’m deeply grateful to Dr. Gibney, Dr. Atkins, and the entire oncology team for giving me the chance to enjoy a bright future with my wife and daughters. My advice for anyone diagnosed with an aggressive cancer is to go to MedStar Georgetown.”
Research to advance the therapy to approval was conducted at cancer centers across the U.S., including Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center—the only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in the Washington, D.C., region. Additional research with TIL therapy and other T-cell therapies in a range of solid tumor malignancies is ongoing.
Visit MedStarHealth.org/TIL for more information. To schedule an appointment, call 202-993-0492.