Ochsner Health is the leading nonprofit healthcare provider in the Gulf South. Ochsner inspires healthier lives and stronger communities through our mission to serve, heal, lead, educate and innovate.
Ochsner MD Anderson uses groundbreaking TIL therapy to treat advanced melanoma in adults
NEW ORLEANS – Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center at The Gayle and Tom Benson Cancer Center in New Orleans announces a milestone in advanced cancer treatment, as the first institution in Louisiana to provide an adult patient with tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) therapy for advanced melanoma.
Advanced melanoma is classified as stage III or IV metastatic melanoma and is a form of skin cancer that has spread from where it originated in the body. TIL therapy represents a significant advancement in cancer care, grounded in decades of dedicated research. TIL therapy works by harnessing the body’s natural defenses in a powerful new way. It is a form of immunotherapy that uses a patient’s own immune cells to fight cancer.
How TIL therapy works
During treatment, surgeons remove a piece of the cancerous tumor and isolate the lymphocytes from the tumor. Lymphocytes are cells that have the ability to identify and fight cancer cells.
In a laboratory, these lymphocytes are activated and multiplied to be administered back into the patient.
Once the TILs are ready, patients are admitted to the hospital to receive a preparative chemotherapy regimen, then the cancer-fighting cells are infused back into the patient. Patients then receive a growth factor, growing an army of lymphocytes to seek out and destroy tumor cells.
The concept of using a patient’s own immune cells to target cancer began to take shape in the late 1980s, when scientists discovered that immune cells found within tumors could recognize and attack cancer. Over the years, this approach has evolved, guided by innovations, and a commitment to improving patient outcomes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first TIL therapy for advanced melanoma in 2024, following results from clinical trials that show many patients are still responding five years after treatment. These studies illustrated that many patients experienced tumor shrinkage or elimination when other options were not successful. Research continues to study TIL therapy on other types of cancerous tumors, including lung cancer.
“As a care team, we witness firsthand the challenges faced by patients with advanced cancer who have exhausted all conventional treatment options,” said Daniel Johnson, MD, medical oncologist and director of the Center for Innovative Cancer Therapies, Ochsner MD Anderson. “TIL therapy highlights how far cancer treatments have come. By utilizing a patient’s own immune system in a highly personalized manner, we open new options for individuals with metastatic melanoma who have limited treatment choices. Due to the success with melanoma, there are now multiple novel TIL therapies currently being studied in clinical trials to treat other cancers.”
Expert cancer care in the community
Ochsner MD Anderson continues its ongoing commitment to leading edge cancer care, empowering patients and families with access to some of the latest, most promising treatments. Another advanced form of immunotherapy available at Ochsner MD Anderson is CAR T cell therapy, also called Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cell therapy. Ochsner MD Anderson was the first in Louisiana to offer CAR T cell therapy to adults for the treatment of certain blood cancers. In contrast to TIL therapy, CAR T cell therapy collects a patient’s T cells from the blood. These cells are genetically modified to target specific proteins found in cancer cells. This process uses the patient’s immune system to destroy cancer cells.
For more than 80 years, Ochsner has been dedicated to cancer research and new cancer therapy development, bringing innovations to treatment with more clinical trials than anywhere else in Louisiana. It is accredited by the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American College of Radiology, the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (Bone Marrow Transplant) and the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers.
Cancer care at Ochsner MD Anderson is recognized by U.S. News & World Report, ranking as high performing in leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma treatment and colon, lung and prostate cancer surgeries. The Ochsner Cancer Institute treats more than 40,000 patients each year and has cared for patients from all 50 states and 28 countries. Each patient’s care team can include as many as 20 multidisciplinary cancer specialists working together to provide high-quality treatment.
To learn more about Ochsner MD Anderson and the treatment options available to patients, please visit ochsner.org/cancerservices.
###
About Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center
Ochsner MD Anderson Cancer Center combines the expertise of Ochsner Health, Louisiana’s leader in cancer care, with the world-renowned MD Anderson Cancer Center. As the only fully integrated cancer program in Louisiana based on MD Anderson’s standards and protocols, it offers patients access to cutting-edge treatments, innovative clinical trials, and personalized care plans. With a multidisciplinary team of specialists and advanced technology, Ochsner MD Anderson provides comprehensive care for both common and rare cancers across multiple locations in southeastern Louisiana. This partnership ensures patients receive expert cancer care close to home.
About Ochsner Health
Ochsner Health is the leading nonprofit healthcare provider in Louisiana, Mississippi and across the Gulf South, delivering expert care at its 47 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers. Ochsner is nationally recognized for inspiring healthier lives and stronger communities through expertise, quality and digital connectivity. In 2025, more than 40,000 dedicated team members and 5,000 employed and affiliated physicians at Ochsner cared for more than 1.6 million people from every state in the nation and 65 countries. To learn more about how Ochsner empowers people to get well and stay well, visit www.ochsner.org.
