In the United States, a unique case of prolonged remission after CAR-T therapy was reported: a woman who was diagnosed in childhood with an aggressive form of a nervous system cancer, neuroblastoma, has remained healthy for 18 years. At the time she started treatment, the tumor was actively progressing, but after a course of genetically modified immune cells, the disease completely receded. Over the years, she did not need additional therapy and went on to have two children.
CAR-T therapy has previously shown high effectiveness in treating leukemia and lymphoma, while its results against solid tumors had raised doubts. This new case became the first such long-lasting example of sustained remission in a patient with a solid tumor that was actively growing.
The study published in Nature Medicine included 19 children who received treatment from 2004 to 2009. Only one patient achieved such a long-lasting remission—her story is an important milestone in the development of cancer therapy and a source of hope for thousands of people.
