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The CAR T Access Crisis: Why Eligible Patients Aren’t Getting a Potentially Curative Therapy
In this episode of Bench to Bedside, Dr. Roy Jensen welcomes Dr. Joseph McGurk, division director of Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapies at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, to discuss CAR T-cell therapy and the growing “CAR T crisis” in access. Dr. McGurk explains how CAR T is made from a patient’s own T cells and why it has produced unprecedented, potentially curative outcomes in blood cancers such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, leading to FDA approvals in second- and third-line settings. He shares national data showing only 25% of eligible second-line patients and 35% of eligible third-line patients receive CAR T, with access declining as distance from a treatment center increases. The conversation highlights barriers including referral patterns, education gaps, logistics, socioeconomic factors, and disparities, and outlines KU’s efforts to expand outreach, partner with community sites, and build infrastructure to improve timely evaluation and treatment. 00:00 Welcome and the CAR T Crisis 01:25 How CAR T works 05:00 Breakthrough results and approvals 06:52 The access gap data 10:16 Why delays are deadly 11:49 Barriers to referral and equity 17:31 Taking CAR T closer to home 19:37 What patients can do now 22:22 Rapid evaluation and parallel workflow 24:26 New cancer center and GMP expansion 28:46 Closing thoughts and resources Links from this Episode:  Learn more about CAR T treatment at KU Cancer Center Learn more about Dr. Joseph McGuirk Read Dr. McGuirk’s research “Real-world treatment patterns and survival outcomes in second and third line settings in large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL)” Read Dr. McGuirk’s article “Leading Oncologist Rings the Alarm Bell: ‘We Have a Crisis in Life-Saving Access to CAR T-Cell Therapy’ Hear Dr. McGuirk talk about CAR T access on KCUR’s “Up to Date” podcast To ensure you get our latest updates, follow us on the social media channel of your choice by searching for KU Cancer Center.  
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