Providence Blood Cancers and Blood Disorders Program

At Providence, whether you’re diagnosed with a blood disorder or blood cancer, our team of hematology specialists will guide your treatment with compassion and expertise.

4.9   |  1,399 Ratings
503-215-6014

Providence Blood Cancers and Blood Disorders Program

At Providence, whether you’re diagnosed with a blood disorder or blood cancer, our team of hematology specialists will guide your treatment with compassion and expertise.

4.9   |  1,399 Ratings

Our Approach

As one of the few highly specialized blood cancer treatment programs in the region, the team of blood disorder experts at Providence Cancer Institute of Oregon – a diverse group of experts known as hematologists – provide care to people diagnosed with blood disorders and blood cancers. Our treatment plans also include highly personalized, promising new therapies like chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.

Through the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, a Providence Center of Excellence for immuno-oncology and cellular therapy, we give patients the opportunity to participate in innovative clinical trials to treat leukemia, lymphoma, myelodysplastic syndromes and myeloma.

We have many teams that support patients during their treatment. Our collaborative, team-based approach to cancer care includes:

  • Advanced practice providers
  • Fellowship-trained hematologists
  • Fellowship-trained oncologists
  • Integrative medicine clinicians
  • Oncology nurses
  • Pathologists
  • Radiation oncologists
  • Registered dietitians
  • Social workers

In addition to medical care, they also offer emotional and practical support so patients can stay focused on their treatment and overall well-being.

Learn more about our cancer support services.

Meet the Team

At Providence, you'll have access to a vast network of dedicated and compassionate providers who offer personalized care by focusing on treatment, prevention and health education.

Specialists at Providence Cancer Institute of Oregon treat adult blood cancers, including:

  • Leukemia
    • Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)
    • Acute myeloid leukemia (AML)
    • Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL)
    • Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
    • Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)
  • Lymphoma
    • Hodgkin lymphoma
    • Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
  • Multiple myeloma
    • Amyloidosis
    • Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS)
    • Myeloma
    • Plasmacytoma
    • Smoldering myeloma

Blood cancer treatment options may include:

  • Autologous stem cell transplant: In an autologous stem cell transplant, your stem cells are first collected and preserved. Then, you receive high-dose chemotherapy or radiation to destroy diseased cells. Afterward, your own stem cells are reinfused to help your body recover and restore healthy blood production. As one of two accredited stem cell transplant locations in Oregon, our transplant team has extensive experience supporting patients throughout this treatment.
  • Cellular therapies: Available through our FDA-approved treatments and clinical trials, cellular therapies use your own cells to fight disease and support recovery. One type of adoptive T-cell therapy, called CAR T-cell therapy, can be used to treat certain types of leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.
  • Chemotherapy: This can include immunotherapy, targeted therapies or other cytotoxic chemicals to kill cancer cells.
  • Clinical trials: Available through the Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, your care team will identify if any trials are appropriate for you. You can also ask about clinical trial opportunities.

Our hematologists also provide exceptional care for non-cancer blood disorders, bringing their expertise, advanced diagnostic capabilities and a commitment to education for both clinicians and patients. They coordinate closely with several specialties, including OB-GYN, cardiology and surgery, to develop personalized treatment plans and ensure comprehensive care.

Together, we treat the following conditions:

  • Autoimmune disorder affecting blood cells
  • Bleeding disorders, such as von Willebrand disease, hemophilia and platelet disorders
  • Bone marrow failure syndromes
  • Castleman disease
  • Hemoglobinopathies, including thalassemia and sickle cell disease
  • Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH)
  • Hypercoagulable states and venous thrombosis
  • Iron disorders, including iron deficiency and iron overload
  • Low blood cell counts, including white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets
  • Microangiopathic hemolytic anemias
  • Porphyria

Why Choose Us for Your Cancer Care?

We know that every patient is unique. No two patients – or their treatment plans – are alike. This is why we take a highly personalized approach to cancer care, and we always put our patients first. Our cancer specialists are at the forefront of innovative, state-of-the-art technologies and treatment options.  We partner with you to develop specialized treatment plans that fit your needs and provide the best outcomes. At the Providence Cancer Institute of Oregon's metro-area locations, some of our advanced treatments include:

You will have access to unsurpassed support at every stage of your treatment, adding an extra dimension of care to help fight cancer. Our oncology nurse navigators, social workers, dietitians and spiritual care providers help guide you through treatment and promote health on every level — body, mind and spirit. As an added layer of support, our Oncology Resource Specialists provide free, personalized assistance to patients, families and care partners. These caregivers will help you navigate and use the many resources available throughout the community and through Providence.

Learn more about our cancer support services.

Cancer doesn’t discriminate, but access to great cancer care hasn’t always been the same for everyone. At Providence, we are deeply committed to making sure every patient we treat has access to the best cancer care. We value, respect and support the racial, ethnic, religious, gender, sexual and spiritual identities of each member of our diverse community, and we never turn a patient away. Instead, we work to make sure every patient is treated equally and with dignity – whoever you are, and wherever you are in your journey.

When you become a patient at Providence, you become part of a collaborative cancer-care network. Our care often exceeds national measures for patient outcomes. We have award-winning doctors, scientists, researchers and caregivers across 51 hospitals in seven states. The skills of your local team and the power of this network add up to the best, most compassionate care. And if you need to meet with a specialist outside your area, we have telehealth technology to help. Our network and superior care are among the reasons 6,000 newly diagnosed cancer patients choose Providence Cancer Institute of Oregon each year.

Through our pioneering research, we have helped make cancer immunotherapy a new standard of care. Our globally renowned team of physician researchers and scientists at Earle A. Chiles Research Institute offers hope to patients and families.

Accreditation

Our program has been accredited by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT) since 2000. This accreditation allows us to perform transplant protocols through the Bone Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network (BMT CTN) and the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG).

CAR T-Cell Therapy: Using Your Immune Cells to Fight Blood Cancers

Providence is home to the first research laboratory in Oregon for adoptive cellular therapy, a type of cancer immunotherapy. We offer advanced cell therapies through both FDA approved treatments and clinical trials, including chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy.

CAR T-cell therapy, commonly known as CAR T, is a highly personalized treatment for blood cancer. This therapy is usually recommended for patients whose disease has returned after chemotherapy or who have developed resistance to their initial treatment.

CAR T is a unique treatment that genetically modifies your own T cells to express protein receptors that then help the T cells recognize and attack cancer.

T cells are a type of white blood cell that support your immune system by fighting off germs and infection to help you stay healthy. During CAR T-cell therapy, your own T cells are modified through a multi-step process to help target and attack blood cancers more effectively in your body – a groundbreaking advancement in immunotherapy treatments.

The CAR T-cell modification process includes:

  • T cell collection: An IV line is placed to collect some of your blood. The blood will go through a machine that separates out some of your T cells – a process called leukapheresis – then returns the blood to you. The collection process takes about 3-4 hours.
  • Gene modification: Your collected T cells are sent to a lab where they’ll be modified to become CAR T cells. The process typically takes about 3 weeks.
  • Lymphodepleting chemotherapy: You’ll receive low-dose chemotherapy to prepare your body to receive the modified CAR T cells. The preparation takes about 6 hours a day for 3 consecutive days.
  • Reinfusion: The modified CAR T cells will be returned to your body through an IV line. Reinfusion takes about 30 minutes.
  • Monitoring and follow-up: You’ll be monitored closely for at least 7 days after treatment to measure how well it’s working and to manage any side effects. After that, you’ll have regular follow-up appointments for up to a month to track your progress.

Through our pioneering research at Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, a division of Providence Cancer Institute of Oregon, we have helped make cancer immunotherapy a new standard of care. Our research team continues to explore new avenues for solid tumor and blood cancer treatment.

Currently, we are:

  • Collaborating with our genetic sequencing team to identify both the unique mutations expressed by tumors and the T cells that can recognize those genetic mutations
  • Developing programs to generate personalized, potent and precise T-cell therapies to target an individual’s unique cancer cells
  • Offering new applications for CAR T-cell therapy through clinical trials
Mother and daughter outdoors piggy back ride
THE POWER OF OUR NETWORK

Part of Providence Cancer Institute of Oregon

Providence Cancer Institute is a leading provider of cancer care in Oregon, and part of the largest community-based cancer-care network in the United States. Regardless of where you go for care, you have an entire team of cancer experts working together to provide a personalized, whole-person approach to your care. At Providence we see more than a cancer diagnosis, we see the life in you and are committed to helping you live well again.

Find Clinical Trials

Are you looking for a clinical trial for yourself or for a patient? We’d love to help you find one!

Senior woman looking hopeful as she gazes out window