Child becomes first NHS patient to receive pioneering CAR-T cancer therapy

An 11-year old is the first NHS patient to receive the therapy which uses the body’s cells to fight cancer.

The CAR-T therapy, called Kymriah, involves the removal of cells and adapting them so they are able to recognise cancer cells. It is licensed to treat B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia patients up to the age of 25, used when other treatments have failed.

In a clinical trial, 75 patients for whom all other treatments had failed, received the treatment and 50 per cent were still in complete remission 12 months later.

There were however some serious side-effects, with some patients developing cytokine-release syndrome, which can cause low blood pressure, difficulty breathing and fever, but it can be treated in most patients.

NHS England recently announced that it would fund the treatment shortly after it was granted a European licence.

Up to 30 patients are expected to receive the therapy each year.

NHS England have also announced that they will fund a similar CAR-T therapy, named Yescarta, for adults suffering with lymphoma and it is anticipated that up to 200 patients each year will be eligible.

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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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