1998 was a pivotal year for Leslie L. Popplewell, MD, Hematologist, Hematology and Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Medical Director, City of Hope Atlanta.
After completing a fellowship in medical oncology and hematology at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City, Dr. Popplewell relocated to the West Coast to gain additional specialized training through a bone marrow transplantation fellowship at City of Hope.
Dr. Popplewell remained at City of Hope Los Angeles for more than 20 years as a hematologist and Chief of the Division of Lymphoma, Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and Associate Medical Director of The Briskin Center for Clinical Research. Now, she is embarking on the next phase of her career – bringing City of Hope’s world-renowned expertise in BMT and CAR T-cell therapy to patients in Atlanta, Georgia and the surrounding communities.
Founded in 1913, City of Hope has grown into one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the U.S. In 2022, City of Hope acquired Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) and expanded its ability to deliver optimal cancer care in more communities. The organization is now implementing clinical policies and bringing its leading-edge treatments and care protocols to these new locations in Atlanta, Chicago and Phoenix, including City of Hope’s expertise in BMT and CAR T cell therapy.
City of Hope has a long history with BMT. In 1976, it became one of the first six medical centers in the country to begin treating leukemia patients with BMT. Today, City of Hope remains a pioneer in the field with one of the largest and most successful BMT programs of its kind in the U.S.
“When I came to City of Hope initially, there was a growing transplant program that already had a stellar reputation,” says Dr. Popplewell. “But over the last 25 years, the number of patients we’ve been able to serve has increased dramatically.”
As the location of its NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center, City of Hope Los Angeles serves as the research and innovation hub for its national cancer system. It’s here that the BMT and CAR T program has been refined, with City of Hope Los Angeles ranked as an “overperforming” transplant center by the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research Center – the only U.S. transplant center to hold this recognition for more than a decade. City of Hope's transplant programs in Los Angeles and Chicago are accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT), the standard of excellence for BMT programs in the United States, with its program in Phoenix expecting accreditation this year. City of Hope Atlanta is the next frontier for BMT and CAR T program expansion, with Popplewell recruiting a talented team and building the program.
BMT and CAR T cell therapy can be life-saving treatments for patients with hematologic malignancies. However, due to the complexity of the procedures and resources needed to perform them, they are available at a limited number of specialized centers. Today, the majority of CAR T cell therapy is delivered at academic centers, yet 80% of cancer care is conducted in the community setting. This imbalance results in a lack of participation in, and access to, clinical trials and innovative treatment approaches – like CAR T cell therapy.
“There is a big gap between the number of patients in the U.S. who are eligible for CAR T cells as opposed to the number who actually get them,” says Dr. Popplewell.
Dr. Popplewell’s overall goal for the program in Atlanta is to serve patients with hematologic malignancies and be a resource for community oncologists. They will work with both newly diagnosed patients as well as those who have relapsed.
“It won’t matter where they are on their journey,” says Dr. Popplewell. “We’re here and ready to help.”
Across City of Hope’s system each of its locations uses the same standard operating procedures to perform BMT and CAR T cell therapy. These standards, which have been developed through decades of research and innovation at City of Hope Los Angeles, can easily be implemented when establishing a new program to ensure patients achieve the best possible outcomes.
“As a system, we have the expertise and best practices in place and in Atlanta we already have a talented team in place,” says Dr. Popplewell. “Now it’s just a matter of bringing them together to benefit patients in this community with this life-saving technology.”