Stem cell transplant, a recipe for success
In July 2022, Pascal Olhats was stunned to learn that his rare and aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma had recurred. The celebrated chef, then 66, had been in remission after a 2018 transplant of his own stem cells at a Southern California cancer center far from his Tustin home.
But his UCI Health medical oncologist, Dr. Lauren Pinter-Brown, had some good news to temper Olhats’ distress over his relapse with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma.
The UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center had opened Orange County’s only adult bone marrow transplant program at UCI Medical Center in Orange. Now he could undergo a second, more complex procedure close to home.
The highly skilled team with the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program is led by Dr. Stefan Ciurea, an international leader in stem cell transplantation and cellular therapies.
Ciurea has pioneered the use of haploidentical or “half-matched” donor stem cells — from a parent, sibling or child whose cells partially match — instead of the patient’s own cells or those of a fully matched relative.
“We are one of the world leaders in haploidentical donation,” says Ciurea. “Because it is a higher-risk procedure, many centers don’t do it.”
Expanding cellular therapy options
He also is developing a new approach to harness the body’s own natural killer immune cells to decrease the risk of relapse after transplantation. The program also is offering CAR T cell therapy and launching clinical trials for experimental treatments.
Since the program opened in spring 2020, Ciurea and the team have performed more than 250 lifesaving stem-cell transplant and related procedures.The multidisciplinary team includes stem cell transplant specialists, medical oncologists, hematologists, hematologic oncologists, transfusion medicine specialists, radiation oncologists and many others.
The team’s highly experienced nurse navigators, social workers, dietitians and supportive care specialists also play an essential role, guiding patients through the intensive and lengthy process.
Olhats would need all their expertise. His relapse posed several hurdles. This time, he couldn’t use his own stem cells. No suitable matching donor emerged from the National Bone Marrow Registry and his brothers were too old to donate. His oldest daughter enthusiastically volunteered, but she lived in France.
“This was a special situation,” Ciurea says. “We knew we had a haploidentical donor but she was in Europe. The team had to coordinate the collection of her stem cells in Belgium and arrange their overnight transport to UCI Medical Center.”
Overcoming obstacles
Chef Pascal, as he is known professionally, faced an exhaustive process. But the award-winning French-born culinary pioneer — who launched the farm-to-table movement in Orange County with the critically acclaimed restaurants Tradition, Café Jardin and Pascal’s Tea Garden Creperie — knew how to push past obstacles.
First came intensive chemotherapy to kill Olhats’ immune system so that his body would accept the donor cells. This meant an extended hospital stay in a private room equipped with enhanced infection control measures to prevent exposure to any pathogens.
In March 2023, he was infused with his daughter's healthy hematopoietic stem cells then remained in isolation for several more weeks to allow his new blood cells and immune system to rebuild.
Next came many months of regular tests and infusions to support his new immune system.
Through it all, he says, “I was so well taken care of. I was treated as a person, not a number. I was there so long, it was like my second home.”
Resuming his culinary life
Two years later, Olhats, now 69, has had no recurrence and he’s feeling stronger than he has in years. He may not be ready to stand 12 hours a day as a full-time chef, but he has resumed teaching culinary arts at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo. He's also leading a river cruise in May to introduce travelers to the unique wines and cuisines of Burgundy and Provence.
His doctors are optimistic. “The further away he is from his transplant, the less chance it will recur,” says Pinter-Brown.“
Ciurea adds, “Data show that after two years, the likelihood of relapse is really low.”
When he's not teaching or planning international excursions, Olhats haunts local farmers markets and works with a San Diego County organic farm known for its wide variety of mushrooms, overjoyed to be doing what he loves.
“I wake up every day thanks to probably the best medical care in the world,” he says. “I'm grateful not only for the transplant team but also the other nurses, specialists, reception and pharmacy staff — even the valet staff!
"This village of hardworking people made me feel I was getting the best treatment possible. I wouldn’t go anywhere else.”
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