Texas Community Cancer Center Launches First CAR-T Program Outside Hospital Setting
Key Insights
The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (search) has become one of the first community physician practices in Texas to deliver CAR-T therapy (search) outside a hospital or academic center setting.
The program is treating its first patient, a 62-year-old man with B-Cell Lymphoma (search), through collaboration between community physicians and Medical City Fort Worth Hospital (search).
A new Texas law, House Bill 3057, has expanded patient access to CAR-T therapy (search) by removing costly FACT accreditation requirements for insurance coverage.
The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (search) has launched a groundbreaking program to deliver CAR-T therapy (search) within its community-based practices, marking a significant milestone in expanding patient access to advanced cellular immunotherapy. The independent oncology practice, which operates 22 clinics across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex with 46 physicians, represents one of the first community physician practices in Texas to offer this innovative treatment outside a hospital or academic center setting.
First Community-Based CAR-T Treatment
The program's inaugural patient is a 62-year-old man from Bowie, Texas, diagnosed with B-Cell Lymphoma (search). Drs. Rohan Gupta, Jeremy Ross, and Asim Ahmad are leading the treatment in collaboration with Medical City Fort Worth Hospital (search), demonstrating the feasibility of delivering sophisticated cellular therapy through community-hospital partnerships.
CAR-T therapy (search) modifies a patient's T-cells (search) to target and destroy cancer (search) cells, offering a cutting-edge approach to personalized cancer care by harnessing the body's immune system to fight cancer. The Center's care delivery model enables seamless monitoring and care coordination between physician-based clinics and local hospitals, ensuring patient safety while improving treatment outcomes.
"Treating patients with CAR-T in a community practice is an important moment in our mission to provide every patient with access to the highest quality cancer (search) care and the most advanced treatments available," said Dr. Gupta. "By expanding the reach of CAR-T therapy (search) into the community through a strong partnership with local community hospitals, we are fulfilling our commitment to bring innovative, life-saving treatments closer to home for our patients."
Legislative Changes Enable Community Access
The program's launch coincides with critical changes in Texas insurance law that have removed barriers to CAR-T access. House Bill 3057, signed into law by Governor Abbott in 2025, requires most fully-insured and commercial plans delivered, issued, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, in Texas to provide coverage for medically necessary CAR-T therapy (search) administered by FDA-certified providers within their networks.
The legislation, co-authored by Rep. Brooks Landgraf and Sen. Kevin Sparks with co-sponsorship from Sen. Adam Hinojosa, addresses a significant access barrier that previously existed. Before HB 3057 took effect, cancer (search) centers were required to hold costly and complex accreditation from the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (search) (FACT) for insurance providers to cover the treatment, despite FACT accreditation not being required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (search).
Expanding Treatment Accessibility
By removing the FACT accreditation requirement, the new law creates increased opportunities for community centers to deliver CAR-T therapy (search) closer to patients' homes. This regulatory change represents a fundamental shift in how advanced cellular therapies can be accessed, potentially benefiting cancer (search) patients across Texas who previously faced geographic and institutional barriers to treatment.
The Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders (search), recognized nationally for quality and compassionate care, provides comprehensive cancer (search) care with a multidisciplinary team focused on treating patients holistically. The organization's expansion into community-based CAR-T delivery reflects its commitment to bringing advanced therapies and clinical trials closer to patients throughout North Texas.