Brad Zackert is no stranger to cancer. 10 years ago, he first underwent chemotherapy for the disease. It worked so well, he was cancer-free for seven years. Then two years ago, it came back and he underwent a stem cell transplant. That worked until earlier this year, when it was discovered a third time. He was running out of options, but Dr. Joseph McGuirk, DO, division director, hematologic malignancies and cellular therapeutics at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, thought Brad was the perfect candidate for a newly-approved treatment called CAR-T therapy. This therapy turns the patient’s own body into a cancer-fighting machine. T-cells taken from the patient are modified and multiplied in a lab and then given back to the patient through an infusion.

            Brad and his family decided to go for it…and they’re glad he did. 30 days after receiving the infusion, tests showed he was in total remission. He and his wife Janet got the great news on their wedding anniversary, and said it was the best present they could ask for.

            In the video, Dr. McGuirk explains how CAR-T therapy works. He says we are in the midst of a revolution in cancer medicine, and says therapies like CAR-T are providing up to 80 percent remission in some patients, which he says is unprecedented in cancer medicine. He says results like this are incredibly satisfying and uplifting for the cancer team.

            Also in the video, Brad Zackert and his wife Janet describe Brad’s cancer journey, what the CAR-T treatment was like compared to his previous treatments, and how he’s feeling after getting the terrific news that his cancer is in remission.