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UVA Cancer Center is the first healthcare provider in Virginia to offer a newly approved immunotherapy — which supercharges the body’s immune system to fight disease — to treat small cell lung cancer.

The federal Food and Drug Administration approved tarlatamab on May 16 for patients who have exhausted other treatment options. Just 26 days later, UVA Cancer Center began using tarlatamab — which early studies show is extending the lifespan of patients with late-stage disease — as indicated by the FDA. Since FDA approval, 16 patients have received the treatment at UVA Cancer Center.

“This treatment requires intensive monitoring and careful coordination among a large team of care providers,” says Ryan Gentzler, MD, a UVA Health lung cancer specialist. “We were able to treat our first patient so quickly after FDA approval thanks to successful collaboration and interdisciplinary efforts among our nurses, pharmacists, information technology team members, and social workers.” 

Patients eligible for this new treatment work closely with UVA Cancer Center’s innovative nurse navigator program, which seeks to simplify and streamline the process of receiving care by guiding patients through all the steps required to begin treatment with tarlatamab. Nurse navigators schedule appointments and manage referrals from doctors across Virginia and beyond, as well as handle other logistics.

“Our nurse navigators are just one example of how our team comes together to bring the latest advances in cancer care to our patients,” says Richard Hall, MD, a UVA Health lung cancer specialist. “Our thoracic oncology team is on the cutting edge of cancer treatments, and our experienced team has the expertise required to be among the first in the nation to offer groundbreaking new therapies like tarlatamab to our patients.”

Improving cancer care is a core mission of UVA Cancer Center — one of only 56 cancer centers to receive a “comprehensive” designation from the National Cancer Institute. The recognition honors elite cancer centers with the most outstanding cancer care and research programs in the country.

Patients looking to learn more about receiving tarlatamab at UVA Cancer Center, call 434.924.9333.