A child who got first generation CAR-T cancer therapy is still disease-free 18 years later

Good news! Cancer is history (soon)!

"About 18 years ago, a 4-year-old girl with a rare nerve cell cancer received an infusion of immune cells that were genetically engineered to fight the disease. Since then, she has remained cancer-free, possibly making her the longest-surviving patient with cancer who received this tailored treatment ...

team recruited 19 children with neuroblastoma — 11 with actively growing cancer and eight who were at high risk of relapsing. From 2004 to 2009, all 19 were infused with CAR-T cells. Within seven years of treatment, 12 patients relapsed and died. Of the seven survivors, five were at risk of relapse when treated and were disease-free 10 to 15 years later. The other two had actively growing cancer at the time they were infused with the treatment. One was still in remission eight years later, but stopped participating in the study at that point; the other is the 18-year survivor. ..."

From the abstract:

"In a phase 1 clinical trial open to accrual from 2004 to 2009, we treated children with neuroblastoma with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV)-specific T lymphocytes and CD3-activated T cells—each expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) targeting GD2 but without an embedded co-stimulatory sequence (first-generation CARs). These CARs incorporated barcoded sequences to track each infused population.

We previously reported outcomes up to 5 years and now report long-term outcomes up to 18 years. Of 11 patients with active disease at infusion, three achieved a complete response that was sustained in two patients, one for 8 years until lost to follow-up and one for more than 18 years. Of eight patients with no evidence of disease at the time of CAR-T administration, five are disease free at their last follow-up between 10 years and 15 years after infusion. Intermittent low levels of transgene were detected during the follow-up period with significantly greater persistence in those who were long-term survivors. Despite using first-generation vectors that are no longer employed because of the lack of co-stimulatory domains, patients with relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma achieved long-term disease control after receiving GD2 CAR-T cell therapy, including one patient now in remission of relapsed disease for more than 18 years."

A child who got CAR-T cancer therapy is still disease-free 18 years later "That suggests the personalized treatment may work for solid tumors, not just blood cancers"

Long-term outcomes of GD2-directed CAR-T cell therapy in patients with neuroblastoma (no public access, but article above contains link to PDF)