A recent study has found that a new form of immunotherapy, known as CAR-T therapy, can significantly slow the progression of multiple myeloma, a deadly blood cancer. The therapy, marketed under the brand name Carvykti, showed remarkable effectiveness in patients who had become resistant to other treatments.
CAR-T therapy involves genetically modifying a patient's own immune cells, known as T-cells, in a laboratory. These modified cells are then infused back into the patient, where they can identify and kill cancer cells more effectively.
In the study involving 419 patients with multiple myeloma who had stopped responding to lenalidomide, the current standard treatment, Carvykti showed promising results. During an average follow-up of 16 months, 84.6 percent of patients who received Carvykti responded to the treatment, compared to 67.3 percent on standard treatment. Additionally, 61 percent of the CAR-T therapy group had fewer traces of the cancer compared to 16 percent in the other group.
While CAR-T cell therapy is not curative, it has the potential to provide longer remission times, and its one-time administration allows patients to have a break from continuous medication. The researchers suggest that CAR-T therapy could become a potential new standard of care for patients with limited treatment options.
It's important to note that the mentioned drug, Carvykti (CAR-T therapy), is not yet available for use in the UK. The study's findings were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference.
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