John Theurer Cancer Center (JTCC) at the

Hackensack University Medical Center Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) is a 781-bed non-profit, research and teaching hospital providing tertiary and healthcare needs located seven miles (11 km) west of New York City, in Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey. As of 2 ...

(HUMC), and part of the

Hackensack Meridian Health Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH) is a Hospital network, network of Health care, healthcare providers in New Jersey, based out of Edison, New Jersey, Edison. Members include academic centers, acute care facilities, and research hospitals. Hackensa ...

(HMH), specializes in

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

services and treatments. It is known for being the first site approved to use cell-based gene therapy to treat patients with certain types of large

B-cell lymphoma The B-cell lymphomas are types of lymphoma affecting B cells. Lymphomas are "blood cancers" in the lymph nodes. They develop more frequently in older adults and in immunocompromised individuals. B-cell lymphomas include both Hodgkin's lympho ...

who have not responded or relapsed after at least two other kinds of treatment; it initiated the first

CAR T-cell therapy A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people instead of goods. The year 1886 is regarded as t ...

clinical trials and is a member of the NCI-approved

Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center The Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center is a cancer center located on the medical campus of Georgetown University in Washington, DC. It is one of four components of the Georgetown University Medical Center and is affiliated with MedSta ...

. Other areas of concentration include bone marrow transplants,

stem cell In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can differentiate into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type o ...

transplantation,

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). In current usage the name usually refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlar ...

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone pain, an ...

neuro-oncology Neuro-oncology is the study of brain neoplasms, brain and Spinal neoplasms, spinal cord neoplasms, many of which are (at least eventually) very dangerous and life-threatening (astrocytoma, glioma, glioblastoma multiforme, ependymoma, pontine glio ...

cutaneous Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different de ...

malignancy,

gastrointestinal The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...

geriatric Geriatrics, or geriatric medicine, is a medical specialty focused on providing care for the unique health needs of older adults. The term ''geriatrics'' originates from the Greek language, Greek γέρων ''geron'' meaning "old man", and ιατ ...

, head and neck,

thoracic The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the crea ...

urologic Urology (from Ancient Greek, Greek wikt:οὖρον, οὖρον ''ouron'' "urine" and ''wiktionary:-logia, -logia'' "study of"), also known as genitourinary surgery, is the branch of medicine that focuses on surgical and medical diseases of t ...

breast The breast is one of two prominences located on the upper ventral region of a primate's torso. Both females and males develop breasts from the same embryological tissues. In females, it serves as the mammary gland, which produces and secret ...

, and

gynecologic Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined are ...

. As of 2023, Andre Goy is chair and Chief Physician Officer.

Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center affiliation

In 2019, JTCC received approval from the

National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...

(NCI) as a member of the NCI-approved

. The partnership focuses on advancing research and treatment in

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

, cancer prevention and control, experimental therapeutics and

molecular oncology Molecular oncology is an interdisciplinary medical specialty at the interface of medicinal chemistry and oncology that refers to the investigation of the chemistry of cancer and tumors at the molecular scale. Also the development and applicatio ...

. The Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Center is designated by the

as a leader in cancer treatment.

Hackensack University Medical Center and Hackensack Meridian Health affiliations

JTCC is part of Hackensack University Medical Center. HUMC and part of the

network, which includes

Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital The Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital (JMSCH) at Hackensack University Medical Center is a pediatric acute care hospital with 105 beds. It is a designated New Jersey children's hospital and full institutional member of the National Association ...

, the ''Cancer Center,'' a branch of The Betty Torricelli Institute for Breast Care,

Ocean Medical Center Ocean University Medical Center (OUMC), formerly Ocean Medical Center, is a 318-bed non-profit, short-term acute care teaching hospital located in Brick Township, Ocean County, New Jersey, providing tertiary and healthcare needs for the northern ...

, Pascack Valley Medical Center, and the

Riverview Medical Center Riverview Medical Center is a 476-bed acute care community hospital located in Red Bank, New Jersey, Red Bank, New Jersey, United States. It serves the northern region of Monmouth County, New Jersey. In 2021 was ranked in the top 50 hospitals in Ne ...

. In 2022, JTCC expanded its program to Hackensack Meridian

Jersey Shore University Medical Center Jersey Shore University Medical Center (JSUMC) is a 691-bed non-profit, tertiary research and academic medical center located in Neptune Township, New Jersey, servicing coastal New Jersey and the Central Jersey area. JSUMC is the region’s only ...

's HOPE Tower, providing access to specialized cancer services and access to clinical trials.

Other affiliations

JTCC has a partnership with

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK or MSKCC) is a cancer treatment and research institution in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, founded in 1884 as the New York Cancer Hospital. MSKCC is one of 52 National Cancer Institute– ...

(MSK) to provide cancer care and develop joint standards of care through the oversight of a governing board composed of members from both MSK and HMH. In 2021, JTCC entered into a clinical affiliation with Regional Cancer Care Associates (RCCA) to open a practice called Toms River Regional Cancer Center in Toms River, NJ. The center provides comprehensive medical and surgical oncology/hematology consultative services by community-based, regional, and national specialists for various types and stages of cancer and serious blood disorders. In 2022, JTCC entered into a clinical affiliation with St. Joseph's Health to provide expanded cancer care services to the residents of Wayne, Paterson, and Totowa.

Green initiatives

In 2011, JTCC at HUMC opened a $130-million, 155,000-sq. ft. facility. The JTCC pavilion was built with a

green roof A green roof or living roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage ...

, providing patients and visitors with a relaxing environment and doubling as exterior insulation—greatly reducing heat gain and loss. This reduces energy use for heating and cooling as well as harmful emissions.

Notable accomplishments

* JTCC initiated the first CAR T-cell therapy clinical trials through its NCI collaboration and became the first certified center in New Jersey to offer this treatment, in which a patient's own immune cells (

T-cells A T cell is a type of lymphocyte. T cells are one of the important white blood cells of the immune system and play a central role in the adaptive immune response. T cells can be distinguished from other lymphocytes by the presence of a T-cell rec ...

) are trained to fight cancer. * JTCC supports the Northeast's largest

bone marrow transplant Hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) is the transplantation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells, usually derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood in order to replicate inside of a patient and to produce ...

(BMT) program and, in 2014, performed 400 transplants. * Treated first US patient with an investigatory drug for relapsed

glioblastoma Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is one of the most aggressive types of cancer that begin within the brain. Initially, signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nonspecific. They may include headaches, personality ch ...

and other

anaplastic Anaplasia (from grc, ἀνά ''ana'', "backward" + πλάσις ''plasis'', "formation") is a condition of cells with poor cellular differentiation, losing the morphological characteristics of mature cells and their orientation with respect to ...

glioma A glioma is a type of tumor that starts in the glial cells of the brain or the spine. Gliomas comprise about 30 percent of all brain tumors and central nervous system tumours, and 80 percent of all malignant brain tumours. Signs and symptoms ...

s. * First to use a

biomarker In biomedical contexts, a biomarker, or biological marker, is a measurable indicator of some biological state or condition. Biomarkers are often measured and evaluated using blood, urine, or soft tissues to examine normal biological processes, ...

surveillance program that screens patients who are at high-risk for developing

pancreatic The pancreas is an Organ (anatomy), organ of the digestive system and endocrine system of vertebrates. In humans, it is located in the abdominal cavity, abdomen behind the stomach and functions as a gland. The pancreas is a mixed or heterocrine ...

cancer. * Among the first of limited U.S. sites approved to offer

Yescarta Axicabtagene ciloleucel, sold under the brand name Yescarta, is a medication used for the treatment for large B-cell lymphoma that has failed conventional treatment. T cells are removed from a person with lymphoma and genetically engineered to p ...

(

axicabtagene ciloleucel Axicabtagene ciloleucel, sold under the brand name Yescarta, is a medication used for the treatment for large B-cell lymphoma that has failed conventional treatment. T cells are removed from a person with lymphoma and genetically engineered to p ...

), a cell-based gene therapy, to treat adult patients with certain types of large

who have not responded or relapsed after at least two other kinds of treatment. As of 2023, it is also approved for all six commercially available CAR-T products for lymphoma,

and pediatric B-Cell precursor

acute lymphoblastic leukemia Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the lymphoid line of blood cells characterized by the development of large numbers of immature lymphocytes. Symptoms may include feeling tired, pale skin color, fever, easy bleeding or bruisin ...

: Yescarta, Tecartus (

brexucabtagene autoleucel Brexucabtagene autoleucel, sold under the brand name Tecartus, is a cell-based gene therapy medication for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The most common side effects include serious inf ...

), Breyanzi ( lisocabtagene maraleucel), Carvykti (

ciltacabtagene autoleucel Ciltacabtagene autoleucel, sold under the brand name Carvykti, is an anti-cancer medication used to treat multiple myeloma. The most common adverse reactions include pyrexia, cytokine release syndrome, hypogammaglobulinemia, musculoskeletal ...

), Abecma (

idecabtagene vicleucel Idecabtagene vicleucel, sold under the brand name Abecma, is a cell-based gene therapy to treat multiple myeloma. The most common side effects include cytokine release syndrome (CRS), infections, fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, and a weakened ...

), and Kymriah (

tisagenlecleucel Tisagenlecleucel, sold under the brand name Kymriah, is a CAR T cells medication for the treatment of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) which uses the body's own T cells to fight cancer (adoptive cell transfer). Serious side effects occu ...

References

External links

OncLive
{{DEFAULTSORT:John Theurer Cancer Center Hackensack, New Jersey Cancer hospitals Cancer research organizations Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)