Doctors achieve new feat in cancer treatment with cord transplant and Car T-cell therapy

Doctors from a private health facility in West Bengal have successfully treated a seven- year-old boy suffering from thalassaemia using an advanced Haplo Cord transplant process.

The parents of the 7-year-old child diagnosed with HbE Beta thalassemia, who needs monthly blood transfusions, were counseled to register under the “Save the Sibling” programme. They underwent IVF (in vitro fertilization) and pre-implantation genetic testing to produce a matched thalassemia-free sibling with compatible HLA (human leukocyte antigen), which is critical for bone marrow transplantation.

A haplo-cord transplant was performed using the cord blood from the patient’s sibling and some stem cells from his father. The transplant was conducted by Narayana Health. During the transplant period, the child developed complications such as infections, mucositis, liver derangement, and persistent low blood counts, which were effectively managed. The patient has recovered well and is now transfusion-free, the doctors said.