CAR T-Cell therapy revolutionised landscape of cancer treatment: Doctors

Hamza Khan, a 42-year-old from Bengaluru, achieved durable remission from relapsed follicular lymphoma through CAR T-cell therapy after conventional treatments failed. Initially diagnosed in 2020, he underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy and stem cell transplant, which proved ineffective. Following a severe Covid-19 infection and worsening prognosis, doctors at Narayana Health City administered CAR T-cell therapy in September 2022, marking a significant advancement in cancer treatment. Dr. Sharat Damodar, Senior Consultant Haematologist at Narayana Health City, highlighted CAR T-cell therapy’s transformative impact and its approval by CDSCO in October 2023. Dr. Vipul Sheth from RGCIRC emphasized the therapy’s potential as a “living drug” that activates the patient’s immune cells against cancer, offering hope to refractory patients resistant to standard treatments.