For Oklahomans with advanced melanoma, the road to cutting-edge treatment just got a lot shorter. OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center in Oklahoma City has started offering tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy as a commercial treatment, making it the only center in the state to do so. The personalized, one-time cell therapy uses a patient’s own immune cells, grown in a lab then reinfused to attack advanced melanoma, and it can deliver long, durable remissions for some patients. The rollout follows roughly two years of clinical trials at Stephenson and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of a TIL product in February 2024.
OU Health announced the move in a post on Wednesday last week, noting that Stephenson is the first and only center in Oklahoma offering TIL and that its team has shifted from clinical trials to a full commercial program. “This is about giving people a second chance at life,” Dr. Taha Al‑Juhaishi, OU Health’s associate chief medical officer for cancer services, said in the post. The center is urging physicians to call for referrals or second opinions if they believe a patient might qualify.
How TIL therapy works
TIL therapy starts in the operating room. Surgeons remove a tumor, then specialists isolate the immune cells that have already fought their way into that tumor. The most active lymphocytes are expanded in a specialized lab, essentially giving the patient’s own cancer-fighting cells a massive boost, before they are returned to the patient after preparative chemotherapy and supportive medications. The entire process, from tumor removal to infusion, takes several weeks and must be carried out at an authorized center with both laboratory manufacturing and infusion capabilities, according to the National Cancer Institute. Because the treatment involves high-intensity chemotherapy and immune-stimulating drugs, patients require close monitoring around the time of infusion.
Evidence and risks
The FDA granted accelerated approval to lifileucel (Amtagvi) in February 2024 for adults with unresectable or metastatic melanoma, based on clinical trials showing an objective response rate of about 31.5% among heavily pretreated patients. Some patients had complete responses, and many of those responses were durable. At the same time, the agency’s approval and prescribing information include a boxed warning for treatment-related mortality, prolonged severe cytopenias, severe infection, and cardiopulmonary or renal complications, so potential candidates must be screened and monitored carefully, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. That risk-benefit balance is why centers that offer TIL rely on multidisciplinary teams handling surgery, cell manufacturing, and inpatient care during the vulnerable post-infusion period.
Who may qualify and how to get referred
The therapy is intended for adults whose melanoma has not responded to prior PD‑1 checkpoint inhibitor treatment and, when applicable, BRAF/MEK targeted therapy. Stephenson’s team identifies potential candidates through its melanoma clinic and by referral, the center reports. OU Health lists leaders for the melanoma clinic and cell therapy program and directs physicians or patients seeking a second opinion to call (855) 750‑2273 for referrals and more details, per OU Health. The center stresses that not every patient will be eligible and that each case is evaluated individually.
Timing and logistics
The full manufacturing and treatment course is measured in weeks. As programs scale up and refine their processes, many centers report roughly six to twelve weeks from tumor collection to infusion. Patients can expect an initial surgery to collect tumor tissue, a waiting period while their cells are manufactured, lymphodepleting chemotherapy, the TIL infusion, and a short course of immune-stimulatory medication, all paired with close inpatient monitoring, according to Moffitt Cancer Center. Financial and travel assistance programs through manufacturers or hospital support services are often available for eligible patients.
Why it matters for Oklahomans
Until now, many Oklahomans with advanced melanoma had to travel to distant academic centers to access TIL therapy. Having an authorized program in Oklahoma City cuts down on travel burdens and keeps care closer to families, local support networks, and follow-up teams, local coverage has noted. The rollout has already drawn attention, as reported by News 9, and offers patients a new option when standard treatments have failed. For families weighing whether to pursue a complex, intensive therapy, the presence of a commercial program in-state can significantly change the equation…