Cody Patten, a 33-year-old retail worker from Gilbert, had never been seriously ill in his life, and had never even heard of synovial sarcoma, a soft-tissue cancer that most commonly affects large joints in the arms and legs.
In the summer of 2024, while stocking shelves at the drugstore where he worked, Cody stood up with an unusual hopping motion and pulled a groin muscle in his upper left leg, causing severe pain. He didn’t think it was a big deal at first; people pull muscles all the time, he said.
“But a couple of months went by, and this muscle-pull wasn’t getting any better, in fact it was getting worse,” said Cody, noting that a mass had started to form at the site of his pain. Soon after, he started coughing up blood, which he described as “very concerning,” and he finally sought medical treatment.
Doctors speculated he might have a large blood clot, Valley fever or something else. But all tests came back negative.
Soon after, in addition to coughing up blood, he had a difficult time catching his breath.
“I went into the hospital because I could hardly breathe,” Cody said. “I was on death’s doorstep.”
Scans and a biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of synovial sarcoma, and that the cancer had spread to his lungs, producing chest nodules that were the cause of his coughing up blood.
Doctors recommended he consider going to HonorHealth Research Institute and seeing Justin Moser, M.D., an Associate Clinical Investigator in the Research Institute’s Oncology Research Division. Dr. Moser also is an Associate Research Professor at the Arizona State University School of Medicine and Medical Engineering, and a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix.
In September, Cody entered a protocol for TECELRA, a new FDA-approved cellular immuno-therapy intended as a one-time treatment for synovial sarcoma. The treatment had been shown in clinical trials to target the MAGEA4 gene associated with synovial sarcoma, benefiting more than 40 percent of refractory patients, with a significant number of patients having durable benefit lasting a year or more.
Previously, patients with refractory synovial sarcoma had poor prognosis with limited treatment options that typically benefited less than 15 percent of patients.
Arizona’s first TECELRA patient
Cells were collected from Cody’s blood and then genetically engineered to recognize the protein MAGEA4 expression on his known blood (HLA) type. These cells were then grown to larger numbers and enhanced.
In late September, this new army of billions of fresh and powerful immune cells, known as T cells, were then infused back into Cody’s bloodstream, making him the first patient in Arizona to receive the TECELRA treatment.
He was monitored in hospital for about a week to watch for any side effects and then sent home. Now, several months after his treatment, he feels better than before he was diagnosed with cancer.
“Honestly, I feel human again. I have more energy now than before I got my T cells,” said Cody, who is “ecstatic” that he’s been cleared to return to work.
It also is a huge relief to his parents, his extended family in the Southeast Valley and his wife, Nicole, who has been especially supportive during his illness, said Cody, an Arizona native. “I don’t know how I would have gotten through all of this without them. We fought together for this. We’ve come a long way, and there now is hope.”
Would he recommend this treatment to others?
“Oh, 1,000%, absolutely,” said an enthusiastic Cody, whose recent scans show the tumor in his leg and nodules in his lungs are shrinking.
His breathing is much improved, and he takes daily walks with Nicole to build back his endurance, said Cody, who describes his interactions with the staff of the Research Institute as the best medical treatment he’s ever experienced: “They greeted me like family. They took great care of me and were always making sure that I was comfortable. I really appreciate HonorHealth for everything they’ve done.”
