Apheresis to remove interfering substances

Abstract

Cancer patients have circulating tumor cell components in their blood. When a therapeutic biologic or biosimilar is administered intravenously into the patient it can bind to these tumor cell components causing adverse side-effects. This invention teaches a targeted apheresis method of removing these interfering tumor cell components by binding them out using an immobilized binding agent contained within an apheresis device, and returning the treated blood back to the patient. Reducing the level of circulating tumor cell components before administering a biologic or biosimilar will increase its safety and efficacy in treating the tumor.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.