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CAR T-Cell Therapy: A Potential Cure for Lymphoma Patients
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In a groundbreaking advancement for blood cancer treatment, CAR T-cell therapy is emerging as a potential curative option for lymphoma patients, offering hope where traditional treatments have failed. This innovative immunotherapy, which modifies a patient’s own immune cells to target and destroy cancer, has shown remarkable success, potentially curing up to 40% of lymphoma patients after a single infusion.
How CAR T-Cell Therapy Works
CAR T-cell therapy, short for Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy, represents a paradigm shift in cancer treatment. It harnesses the power of the patient’s own immune system to fight the disease. The process involves several key steps:
- Cell Collection: T cells, a type of immune cell, are collected from the patient’s blood, similar to a blood donation.
- Genetic Modification: In a specialized lab, the collected T cells are genetically engineered to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) on their surface. This CAR is designed to recognize and bind to a specific protein found on lymphoma cells.
- Cell Expansion: The modified CAR T cells are then grown and multiplied in the lab to create a large number of cancer-fighting cells.
- Infusion: the CAR T cells are infused back into the patient’s bloodstream, where they can now seek out and destroy lymphoma cells throughout the body.
Did You Know? CAR T-cell therapy was frist approved for lymphoma in 2017 and has since been hailed as one of the most significant advancements in cancer treatment in recent decades.
Who Benefits from CAR T-Cell Therapy?
According to Dr. André Goy, who leads the lymphoma division at John Theurer Cancer Center, CAR T-cell therapy is particularly valuable for patients who have relapsed after or are not eligible for stem cell transplants. This includes individuals who have tired other treatment options and even those in their 80s
