50-year-old woman becomes first person to receive CAR-T cell therapy in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

Underscoring the success of the treatment, a release said that the patient has been discharged on Monday, 4 March.

This therapy is known for its ability to genetically reprogram the immune system of patients to combat cancer.

It is designed to treat various diseases, including acute lymphocytic leukaemia, multiple myeloma, glioblastoma, and hepatocellular carcinoma.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) granted commercial approval for CAR-T cell therapy only recently.

Also Read: What is CAR-T cell therapy and how can it help ‘cure cancer’ in India?

The treatment

Dr Padmaja Lokireddy, Hematologist and BMT specialist at the Apollo Cancer Centre explains, “CAR-T cell therapies, also called ‘living drugs,’ start by taking a patient’s T-cells, which are special white blood cells that fight cancer. This is done through a process called Apheresis.”

Explaining the process of CAR-T therapy, Dr Padmaja adds, “Next, these T-cells are altered in a safe lab environment using a viral vector, a kind of carrier. This modification involves adding special connectors on the cell surface called Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs). These CARs are designed to target a protein that is unusually present in certain cancer cells.”

“They are then multiplied to a desired dose, and infused directly into the patient,” she adds.

In simple terms, they take out some T cells, kind of like assembling a superhero squad, and give them a special power called CAR (Chimeric Antigen Receptor).

This CAR is like a superhero radar that helps the T cells spot and attack specifically cancer cells. Once the T cells are all powered up with their new CAR, they are sent back into your body to fight off cancer cells.

CAR-T cell therapies have gained global recognition for their success with challenging B-cell malignancies.

Dr Padmaja announcing the success of the treatment, said, “Treating a patient with CAR-T Cell therapy is a big step forward in fighting B-cell lymphomas, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, and myelomas. These cases show that this groundbreaking therapy is effective and has the potential to offer new hope to patients dealing with these medical conditions.”

Stating that the introduction of CAR-T Cell therapy marks a new era for cancer treatment in the country, Sangitha Reddy, Joint Managing Director of the Apollo said that this milestone underscores their mission to make advanced treatments not just available but also affordable for everyone.

Also Read: Everything you need to know about India’s top 5 major cancers