• Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy offers new hope to cancer patients in India at a fraction of the cost abroad.
  • Dr. (Col.) V K Gupta became one of the first patients to receive CAR-T cell therapy.
  • While chemotherapy and immunotherapy may add a few months or years to the life of a cancer patient, cell-and-gene therapy is designed to cure and provide lifelong benefits.
  • CAR-T cell therapy is for people with B-cell lymphomas who did not respond to standard treatments like chemotherapy, leading to relapse or recurrence of the cancer.
  • It makes treatment easier with a one-time therapy (unlike multiple sessions of chemotherapy) and can be a lifeline for non-responsive cancer patients.
  • CAR-T, a revolutionary therapy, turns T-cells into potent cancer-fighting CAR-T cells.
  • These supercharged T-cells are then put back into the body, killing cancer cells, especially in blood cancers like leukemia and lymphomas.
  • Doctors at Tata Memorial Hospital, where Dr. Gupta had the procedure, reported that he is now free of cancer cells. 
  • Currently, the cost of the treatment is Rs. 30-40 lakh, but the target is to bring it down to Rs. 10-20 lakh.

Source: The Indian Express