Addenbrookes’ Hospital has become the first in the East of England to offer the CAR-T cell treatment to some of its cancer patients and I have been very lucky to be part of this team.
I joined CUH in December 2012 as a staff nurse, working on our Teenager and Young Adults Unit. Prior to CUH I worked at Hinchingbrooke hospital and in a care home.
I completed my degree in Romania back in 1994 and started working as a paediatric nurse, looking after oncology and haematology patients, right up until I came to the UK in 2005 looking for a new experience and to expand my horizons in nursing.
My time as a staff nurse/ junior sister on the TYA unit was invaluable, an amazing journey for me, not just professionally but also on a personal level. I developed my knowledge and skills in Haematology, Oncology and Transplants, working alongside an amazing team and looking after very inspiring teenagers and young people with cancer. Whilst on the unit, I also had my first encounter with a new treatment in cellular therapy looking after patients in London.
Addenbrookes’ Hospital became the first in the East of England to offer this CAR-T cell treatment to some of its cancer patients and I was very lucky to be part of this team as the CART clinical specialist nurse from autumn 2020.
It was a very steep learning curve for me, transitioning from inpatient nursing to the role of a nurse specialist, in a completely new specialty, but it was also so exciting learning about this new treatment and being part of setting up the service for our patients alongside my very supportive team.
I feel very privileged to do a job I love, our role is so rewarding and humbling .We get to know the patients very well and be part of their story.
Lumi
CAR-T stands for chimeric antigen receptor T-cells. This therapy is a highly complex and innovative new treatment specifically developed for each individual patient. Car-T is a “living drug” that modifies the body’s T cells so they can better recognise and attack cancer.
CUH offers this treatment to patients with aggressive B-cell lymphomas, to all who have relapsed or not responded well to chemotherapy or stem cell transplants, and to patients aged over 70 who are considered to be too high risk to have stem cell transplants. In the future, treatment is likely to be expanded to include patients with other cancers.
As a CNS we are the central part of a patients’ journey, being their contact point at any stage during the very complex CAR-T pathway. I also work with health professionals, GP's and carers in the community to support patients during their cancer treatment.
We have an important role in maximising patients’ wellbeing and quality of life. Psychological input is one of the most important aspects of our job, patients have to come to terms once again with a difficult diagnosis and go straight into a new treatment they do not know much about.
In the last 2 years, I have learnt a lot about the huge amount of work that we do underneath the surface that I never realised before.
I feel very privileged to do a job I love, our role is so rewarding and humbling. We get to know the patients very well and be part of their story.