Cutting-edge CAR-T Cell Therapy at Kokilaben Hospital gives complete remission from Aggressive Relapsed Lymphoma

Cutting-edge CAR-T Cell Therapy at Kokilaben Hospital gives complete remission from Aggressive Relapsed Lymphoma

2024 ends with new hope and 2025 begins cancer-free for 39-year-old Rijesh with cutting-edge CAR-T treatment

Navi Mumbai, 03 January 2025 (GNI) : For 39-year-old Rijesh, a corporate professional in the prime of his career in the United States of America, a relapse of an aggressive lymphoma resistant to conventional therapy led him and his family to lose all hope until innovative CAR-T therapy at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital Navi Mumbai saved his life with a complete turnaround and remission of cancer.

Rijesh had been diagnosed earlier in Oct 2023 with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), one of the most common types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).   He had received standard first-line treatment with R-CHOP chemotherapy combination along with methotrexate administered directly into the spinal fluid to target cancer cells in the CNS. Unfortunately, while the treatment showed some promise initially, the cancer soon relapsed in June 2024.

The relapse was an even more rare and aggressive form of the disease – a high-grade double-hit lymphoma, with genetic abnormalities making it resistant to standard therapies. Further complicating the relapse was early involvement of the central nervous system with the lymphoma having spread to the brain and spinal cord, making it one of the most difficult cancers to treat. It was then that he came under the care of Dr. Kunal Goyal, Consultant BMT and Cellular therapies (CAR-T), Hematologist & Hemato-Oncologist at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Navi Mumbai.

A rigorous multi-pronged treatment was begun which included high-dose methotrexate-based chemotherapy (MTR), whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) with CNS boost, and Acalabrutinib, a targeted therapy. While MTR was designed to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and target lymphoma cells in the central nervous system, WBRT was used to deliver radiation to the entire brain, while the “boost” focused additional radiation on specific areas where the cancer was present. However, despite these aggressive efforts, the lymphoma persisted, and the team decided to try a different approach that pushed the boundaries of modern medicine.

Dr. Kunal Goyal decided to use Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy or CAR-T therapy as it is commonly known. CAR-T is an advanced immunotherapy that involves modifying a patient’s own immune cells to recognize and eliminate cancer cells. Dr. Kunal Goyal explained his decision, “CAR-T therapy has revolutionized cancer treatment, particularly for patients with aggressive and relapsed lymphomas who have exhausted other treatment options.  CAR-T harnesses the power of the patient’s immune system. The process involves taking the patient’s T-cells, a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight infection and disease, engineering the cells in a laboratory to target cancer cells, and then re-infusing them into the patient’s bloodstream.”

Rijesh’s T-cells were extracted and sent to a specialized laboratory where they were genetically engineered to express a synthetic receptor called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) on their surface. This CAR was specifically designed to recognize and bind to a protein found on the surface of lymphoma cells. Once the T-cells were modified with the CAR, they were multiplied in the lab and infused back into his bloodstream. These “re-engineered” CAR-T cells could now precisely target and destroy the lymphoma cells.

On November 19, 2024, Rijesh underwent CAR-T therapy at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Navi Mumbai with the modified CAR-T cells infused into his bloodstream. For Rijesh, this represented his last, and perhaps best chance at survival. The result of the CAR-T therapy was nothing short of miraculous. A PET CT scan a month later showed that the cancer was in complete remission and the lymphoma was no longer detectable in Rijesh’s body!

Dr. Shashikant Pawar, Chief Operating Officer, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital Navi Mumbai said, “The complete remission of the cancer shows the power of cutting-edge treatments available today with advances in medical technology. CAR-T therapy is at the forefront of cancer care, and it is our endeavour that patients like Rijesh receive the best of modern medicine to help them overcome even the most complex diseases. This case brings a happy end to 2024 for both the patient and the team at Kokilaben Hospital and is a reminder that the future of medicine is here, and it is bright.”ends GNI