Achi news desk-
New Delhi3 minutes ago
- copy link
When it comes to cancer treatment, there are three things in common: surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Because of new research and advanced technology, targeted therapy is the fourth name for cancer treatment.
In this therapy, medicines are given that enter the body and find and kill cancer cells. These cancer medicines are prescribed all over the world.
Targeted therapy is considered a standard treatment in many types of cancer. However, immunotherapy became more effective in treating cancer than targeted therapy.
Immunotherapy means a treatment where the patient’s immune system is strengthened through medicines. The immune system itself destroys the tumor.
Immunotherapy drugs are called ‘immune checkpoint inhibitors’ and are used to treat many types of cancer including melanoma, lung cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer and lymphoma.
Another therapy being added to cancer treatment is CAR T cell therapy. A therapy that has the potential to completely eradicate advanced stage cancers, leukemia and lymphoma.
50% of patients recovered from T cell therapy in 3 months
In the United States, 6 CAR T cell therapies have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. All these T cell therapies work to treat blood cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia and multiple myeloma.
This cancer therapy has also been developed in India known as NEXCAR therapy 19. This therapy was developed by experts from IIT Bombay and Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH), Mumbai.
So far, NEXCAR 19 therapy has been administered to 98 patients from 45 hospitals in the country. The special thing is that half of the patients recovered within 3 months.
According to Dr. Hansmukh Jain, an oncologist at Tata Memorial Hospital, 30% of cancer patients are those who do not respond to any treatment. Bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy have no effect on them.
While CAR T cell therapy has a positive effect on 60 -70% of patients.
T cells are modified in the laboratory
When we say T cell CAR, CAR means ‘chimeric antigen receptors’ when T cells are responsible for our immune system. These T cells kill abnormal or infection-causing cells in the body.
Dr Ravi Mehrotra, founder of the Center for Health Innovation and Policy (CHIP) in Noida, says that CAR T cell therapy is tailored for each patient.
T cells are taken from the patient’s body and modified in the laboratory. They are made in such a way that they can produce proteins on their surface known as ‘chemeric antigen receptors’.
Millions of molecules are prepared in the laboratory
These receptors ie genetically modified protein molecules. These T cells are prepared in the millions in the laboratory.
When these T cells are put back into the body, their number continues to increase there too. These CAR T cells recognize cancer cells and destroy them.
Currently, treatment with this therapy would cost Rs 40-45 lakh.
This therapy was started in India by a start-up ImmunoACT. It was started by Professor Rahul Purwar of IIT Bombay.
Rahul Purwar and the doctors of Tata Memorial Hospital are credited with developing the NEXCAR therapy 19. In India, any cancer treatment costs lakhs of rupees. Many chemotherapy sessions cost lakhs of rupees.
NEXCAR 19 Cancer therapy is also expensive. While in America, Rs. 3 to 3.5 crores are spent on treating cancer with this therapy, while in India, Rs. 40-45 lakhs are spent. NEXCAR 19 therapy is given to patients from November 2023 onwards.
Dr. Ravi Mehrotra says that only 10-20% is spent on CAR T cell therapy compared to America. However, not all types of cancer can be treated with this therapy. There is still a lot of research to be done on this.
This therapy is different from any traditional therapy. In other therapy or treatment, medicine or radiation is given from the outside but in CART therapy the body’s own cells are used.
Dr. Mehrotra says the most serious side effect of CAR T-cell therapy is cytokine release syndrome (CRS). It has many side effects. This therapy is rarely fatal.
However, CAR T cells can lead to serious complications in patients with high numbers of cancer cells.
CAR T-cell therapy also affects the brain. Effects such as confusion, seizures, stuttering etc. occur. This condition is called ICANS ‘Immune Effector Cell-Associated Neurotoxicity Syndrome’.
Doctors also provide supportive therapy to protect against the side effects of CAR T cell therapy. Steroids are also given to the patient.
Can this therapy become a boon for patients in India?
On this question, Dr. Mehrotra says that the future of this therapy is better in the country. There are lakhs of cancer cases in India every year. There were 14,61,427 cases of cancer in 2022. After China and America, India has the highest number of cancer patients in the world.
Breast, cervical, ovarian and corpus uterine cancer are more common in women while lung, mouth and cervical cancer are most common in men. Traditional cancer treatment is not only expensive but also has terrible side effects. In such a situation, CAR T cell therapy can become a boon for cancer patients.
