Roger Williams Medical Center First In Rhode Island To Introduce New Myeloma Cancer Therapy

(June 2025, Providence, RI)    The Roger Williams Medical Center Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy (BMT) Program is now officially Rhode Island’s only authorized cancer center offering CARVYKTI (ciltacabtagene autoleucel) CAR T-cell therapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. 

Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that affects the plasma cells in the bone marrow. These plasma cells normally produce antibodies to fight infections, but in multiple myeloma the plasma cells become cancerous and multiply rapidly, crowding out healthy blood-forming cells and causing severe and often fatal illness.

The new CARVYKTI therapy has been proven effective in treating patients whose prior treatment has stopped working or in those in remission where the multiple myeloma has returned. In a clinical trial, CARVYKTI demonstrated a 71% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death when compared to standard therapy.

The Roger Williams BMT program was also the first to introduce the availability of YESCARTA, TECARTUS, and KYMRIAH CAR T-cell therapies to Rhode Island and remains the only local provider of these therapies.

CharterCARE CEO Jeff Liebman stated, “We continue to be proud of our local market leadership in cancer treatment. The introduction of CARVYKTI therapy is the latest example of our commitment to provide local access to new therapies for fighting cancer instead of forcing patients to Boston or beyond for help”.

CARVYKTI is approved by the FDA for patients who received at least one prior line of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor and an immunomodulatory agent, and are refractory to lenalidomide. 

For more information or patient referrals, please contact the BMT department at RWMC.BMT@chartercare.org or (401) 456-6565.