Doctors achieve new feat in cancer treatment with cord transplant and Car T-cell therapy

Two rare recoveries at Narayana Health

Doctors at Narayana Health in West Bengal have reported two rare recoveries involving advanced cell-based treatments. A seven-year-old boy with thalassaemia underwent a haplo-cord transplant, and a 62-year-old man from Myanmar was treated for brain cancer with CAR T-cell therapy. Both patients were described as facing potentially fatal outcomes before their treatment.

Thalassaemia treatment: a haplo-cord transplant

The boy, diagnosed with HbE Beta thalassaemia, required monthly blood transfusions. His parents were counselled to register under the 'Save the Sibling' programme, and they underwent IVF and pre-implantation genetic testing to have a matched, thalassaemia-free sibling with compatible HLA. A haplo-cord transplant was then performed using cord blood from the sibling and stem cells from the father. The procedure was carried out by Narayana Health.

During the transplant period, the child developed complications such as infections, mucositis, liver derangement, and persistent low blood counts. These were effectively managed by the medical team. The boy has recovered and is now transfusion-free, according to the doctors.

Brain cancer treatment: CAR T-cell therapy

In the second case, a 62-year-old man from Myanmar was treated for brain cancer after being diagnosed with primary CNS lymphoma, a rare, aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma where cancer cells form in the brain, spinal cord, cerebrospinal fluid, or eyes. The patient had initially presented with gait disturbance. After four cycles of high-dose chemotherapy yielded unsatisfactory results, doctors opted for CAR T-cell therapy. The treatment involved lymphocyte collection and bridging with radiation and other medications before receiving a dual CAR targeting CD19 and CD22 on the cancer cells.

Medical team's response

Joydeep Chakrabartty, Senior Consultant, Hemato Oncology & Clinical Lead - BMT Programme (East) at Narayana Health, called the recoveries landmark achievements. "Narayana Health has always been at the forefront in breaking new grounds in medical science, and these two cases clearly reflect that," he said. He noted that both patients were facing potential fatalities but have now turned their lives around for the better.

Prasanta Chowdhury, Laboratory Director of Cord Life Sciences India Pvt. Limited, commented that concerns about cord blood banking were addressed with compassion and clarity in these two cases.