Kentucky Blood Center participates in new
prostate cancer immunotherapy treatment

Kentucky Blood Center (KBC) announced today it is supporting prostate cancer patients by playing a critical role in the development of one of the latest advances in treatment options, the first-in-class immunotherapy, Provenge, manufactured by Dendreon Corporation.
 

Provenge is the only FDA-approved treatment for certain men with advanced prostate cancer that uses the patient’s own immune system to fight the disease. Provenge is designed to stimulate a patient’s immune system to identify and target prostate cancer cells. Each dose is manufactured specifically for each patient using his own immune cells.
 

KBC collects immune cells from the patient through a process called apheresis. Once these cells are collected, they are immediately shipped to a manufacturing facility where the cells are manufactured into the patient’s own dose of Provenge. The Provenge-enhanced cells are then returned to the patient as a transfusable drug to fight advanced prostate cancer.
 

Area oncologists and urologists will be ordering this therapy as a treatment option for certain types of advanced prostate cancer.
 

“We are excited to be part of this new treatment. We see it as a natural extension of our blood product services for the community. With our phlebotomy expertise, we are able to offer this cutting-edge treatment option to Kentucky patients,” said KBC Medical Director Dennis Williams, M.D.
 

From Kentucky Blood Center