Vietnam successfully treats first case of leukemia with CAR-T immune cell therapy

The first patient in Vietnam to be successfully treated with CAR-T cell therapy was a 12-year-old patient with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a high-risk group. (Source: Ho Chi Minh City Blood Transfusion and Hematology Hospital)

With the cooperation of experts from Taiwan (China), Ho Chi Minh City Blood Transfusion - Hematology Hospital successfully treated the first case of leukemia with CAR-T immune cell therapy.

This is the newest and most difficult cancer treatment available today.

This is the information shared by Professor, Doctor, Doctor Phu Chi Dung, Director of Ho Chi Minh City Blood Transfusion and Hematology Hospital at 3 conferences taking place simultaneously, namely the 8th Vietnam Blood Transfusion and Hematology Conference, the 8th Vietnam-France Expanded Blood Transfusion-Transplantation-Cell Therapy Conference and the 30th Asia- Pacific Blood and Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplantation Conference, opening on September 16 in Ho Chi Minh City.

Doctor Phu Chi Dung shared that the patient was a 12-year-old girl diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia B, a high-risk group. After chemotherapy, the patient relapsed for the first time, then received a half-matched bone marrow transplant from her father but still relapsed for the second time.

Doctors at the Ho Chi Minh City Blood Transfusion and Hematology Hospital have collaborated with Taiwanese (Chinese) experts to use CAR-T therapy (immunotherapy using the patient's own T cells that are genetically modified in the laboratory to have the ability to recognize and destroy cancer cells).

After more than 1 year of CAR-T cell transfusion, the patient's health is currently stable and he is still being treated and monitored at the Blood Transfusion and Hematology Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.

This is the first case in Vietnam to apply CAR-T cell therapy to treat blood cancer.

CAR-T immunotherapy, also known as CAR-T cell therapy, is considered the biggest breakthrough in the field of cancer treatment, especially blood cancer.

This method has many advantages over traditional treatment methods, few side effects, high treatment efficiency, prolongs the patient's life and significantly improves the quality of life after treatment.

In particular, CAR-T therapy has the ability to create a long-lasting immune response, helping to reduce the risk of disease recurrence. However, the biggest challenge of CAR-T therapy today is the very high cost of treatment, the production process of CAR-T cells requires complex technology and modern equipment.

Currently, Ho Chi Minh City Blood Transfusion and Hematology Hospital is actively preparing facilities, human resources (doctors, nurses, certified technicians) and support from foreign experts to produce CAR-T cells in Vietnam.

Doctor Phu Chi Dung estimates that if CAR-T cells can be produced in Vietnam, treatment costs can be reduced by about 20 times compared to treatment abroad (down to less than 500 million VND/case).

In addition, at the 3 conferences this year, there were more than 200 reports from experts in the field of blood transfusion and hematology from Vietnam and internationally.

The report contents are the latest scientific research, focusing on main contents such as: blood transfusion, hematology, chemotherapy, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, targeted therapy, cell therapy, gene therapy, monoclonal antibodies, infections, stem cell banking, mesenchymal stem cells, blood banking, quality management, nursing.

Taking place from September 16-20, the 8th Vietnam Blood Transfusion-Hematology Conference, the 8th Vietnam-France Open Blood Transfusion-Transplantation-Cell Therapy Conference and the 30th Asia-Pacific Blood and Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplantation Conference attracted the participation of nearly 2,000 delegates, including nearly 350 international delegates.

PV (synthesis)

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/viet-nam-dieu-tri-ca-ung-thu-mau-tien-thanh-cong-voi-lieu-phap-te-bao-mien-dich-car-t-520952.html