The Hidden Costs of Cell Therapy: Post-Treatment Care Gaps with Patient-Parent Advocate Betsy Larrabee

What happens after a patient survives a groundbreaking clinical trial?

In this episode of Out of the Lab, host Nicholas Crudele sits down with Betsy Larrabee, a parent and patient advocate, to discuss the realities of pediatric CAR T-cell therapy. While cell therapy offers incredible curative potential, Betsy reveals the massive gaps in post-treatment care and the illusion of a cancer "finish line".

Drawing from her family's journey with her son, Bo , Betsy breaks down the systemic socioeconomic barriers that keep life-saving treatments out of reach for most families.

Key Takeaways:

• The profound lack of medical infrastructure for managing long-term immunological side effects, such as subclinical IgA, after successful trial treatments.

• Why clinical trial designs urgently need to incorporate dedicated follow-on care teams.

• The staggering financial and logistical burdens of centralized care, including spending nearly six figures, maintaining two households, and traveling across the country 22 times for follow-ups.

• The harsh reality that 80% of patients who could benefit from CAR T-cell therapy lack the socioeconomic privilege or geographic access to receive it.