John B. Amos Cancer Center at Piedmont Columbus Regional’s midtown medical complex is the first in Georgia to offer this groundbreaking cancer treatment.
The treatment, Bi-Specific T-Cell Engager (BiTE) therapy, is showing promising results in U.S. patients with certain types of cancer, including small-cell lung cancer, lymphoma and multiple myeloma. BiTE therapy helps the immune system recognize cancer cells and destroy them.
Susan Williams, a 71-year-old Phenix City resident, is the first patient in the Columbus region to receive BiTE therapy. Williams told the Ledger-Enquirer the treatment has allowed her to live like she did before she was diagnosed.
“I made it through it and got to the point where now I’m back,” she said.
In October 2023, Susan Williams went into a Phenix City wellness center for a routine checkup following a COVID-19 diagnosis. Her doctor at the time saw abnormalities in her testing. After several exams, she was diagnosed with small-cell carcinoma, a rare and fast-growing lung cancer.
Williams started coming with her daughter to John B. Amos Cancer Center for treatment in November 2023. Transitioning into chemotherapy after her cancer diagnosis was difficult.
“I had COVID right before I got diagnosed, and I was dealing with the results from that,” Williams said. “I had lost a little weight. … It was rough at first, but everyone was still helping me out. I had my daughter there with me, and she’s bossy, so she was telling me what to do.”
Dr. Mukesh Kumar, Williams’ primary oncologist, recommended BiTE therapy in May 2024 after the treatment got FDA approval However, because of delays in approval to administer the therapy in Columbus, she didn’t start the treatments until December 2024.
“The process to implement was a true team effort with a lot of behind-the-scenes work to make this happen to include developing extensive policies and procedures,” Kumar told the Ledger-Enquirer. “We had team members from oncology, pharmacy, nursing, clinical operations, information technology, environmental services, providers and many others involved in bringing these exciting new treatments to Columbus.”
After five cycles of BiTE therapy, Williams showed significant improvement. She recalled the moment when her medical team realized the treatments were working.
“Dr. Kumar came in the room with the biggest smile you would ever see, and he told me how the PET scan came out and showed the pictures of the last one before the chemo,” Williams said. “It was like night and day. He was like, ‘It’s working! It’s working!’ It was a party in there.”
Williams and her daughter celebrated by going out to eat her favorite food at a Chinese buffet.
“I was really excited,” Williams said. “I wanted to go out and tell everybody. That was the best office visit that I’ve ever had.”
Williams still is undergoing BiTE therapy and her results continue to improve, according to her medical team.
“I’m just hoping that I can live as long as I can live,” she said.
BiTE therapy is a form of cancer treatment that strengthens the power of the immune system to fight cancer tumors. Dr. Andrew Pippas, chief of medical oncology at the John B. Amos Cancer Center, said BiTE therapies allow patients with rare cancers to be effectively treated.
“It’s really a revolution in cancer care,” he said during a news conference. “Immunity has always been the third wheel of cancer care, and with these new bi-specific antibodies that the patient received, we’re now able to treat rare diseases like multiple myeloma much more effectively.”
According to the American Association for Cancer Research, BiTE therapy is a multi-step process.
First, doctors collect a small number of a patient’s white blood cells, called T-cells. These cells help our immune system fight diseases.
Then, those T-cells are taken to a lab to be connected to the patient’s cancer cells. The bind between the T-Cell and the cancer cell is called BiTE, bi-specific T-cell engager.
This process helps familiarize the immune system to the cancer cells, better equipping the body to naturally fight the disease. After the binding, the patient receives a transfusion with the modified cells.
This process is a weekly procedure that has multiple rounds of treatment based on the patient’s needs. So far, it has been statistically successful with a 60% to 70% overall response rate, according to the National Library of Medicine.
BiTE therapy is under a bigger umbrella of the emerging trend of immunotherapy in cancer treatment. Pippas told the Ledger-Enquirer that Piedmont’s staff is preparing to fully incorporate these kinds of treatments.
“We have had support throughout the hospital system at all levels, and it’s reflective of a strong commitment to cancer care,” he said. “We’ve had really good people here that have just taken the bull by the horns, put together these protocols and went forward with the treatment.”
However, there still are hurdles for research on BiTE to overcome. This treatment is offered to only patients who meet a strict criteria. Eligible patients must have undergone several rounds of treatment options and demonstrate little improvement to be approved for BiTE.
Pippas said he hopes BiTE therapy can be incorporated earlier in the cancer treatment process.
“The way I see these drugs coming forward is that clinical trials will begin to move them, not in the third or fourth line, but in the front line and pair them with standard care,” he said. “We look forward to being able to open up some of those trials here and enroll patients to see if we can put their disease in very good remission.”
There are nine BiTE therapies approved for cancer treatment by the US Food and Drug Administration. The John B. Amos Cancer Center offers seven BiTE therapy options:
“We hope word begins to spread in our region about the new therapy,” Kumar told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email. “As we have more success stories like Susan, who is an inspiration to others currently battling cancer, we will be sharing these stories with our community.”
Williams said she hopes other cancer patients will consider trying BiTE therapy.
“You’ve got to have the faith that you’re going to make it,” she said, “and that this will work.”
This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with the Ledger-Inquirer.
