CAR T-Cell Therapy Puts Felix’s Leukemia into Lasting Remission
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has a high cure rate thanks to diligent research conducted at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and elsewhere. However, for some children and young adults like Felix, now 22, even the most effective standard treatments do not work. As a child, Felix went through chemotherapy and radiation several times and had two bone marrow transplants, yet his leukemia kept coming back.
Searching the internet for other treatment options from their home in Vienna, Austria, Felix’s mother found an innovative trial conducted by NCI. After learning all they could about CAR T-cell therapy, a type of immune therapy that equips and multiplies a patient’s immune cells to fight cancer cells, Felix enrolled in the trial.
Thanks to the treatment, Felix is finally cancer-free and able to pursue his dreams, studying biotechnology.
CAR T-cell therapy doesn’t work for every patient with refractory ALL, but NCI researchers are continuously exploring ways to enhance the treatment.
CAR T-Cell Therapy Research
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
CAR T-cell therapy, a type of immunotherapy, is a revolutionary treatment that holds great promise for the future of cancer treatment. For decades, the idea to use a person’s own immune system to fight cancer seemed fantastic. But researchers at NCI and other places of scientific inquiry made it a reality. Read more about the promise this therapy holds, how it works and who is behind it. Watch an interview with Dr. Nirali Shah who leads CAR T-cell trials at the NIH Clinical Center.