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A groundbreaking cancer treatment using genetically modified immune cells known as CAR T-cells has achieved an unprecedented milestone by keeping a patient free of a dangerous nerve tumor for 18 years.

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, including Dr. Cliona Rooney, were astonished to discover that a patient treated with CAR T-cell therapy for neuroblastoma in 2005 remained cancer-free after more than 18 years. This remarkable success is quite rare in treating solid tumors like neuroblastoma, which primarily affects young children.

The CAR T-cell therapy involves modifying T-cells from the patient’s immune system to specifically target and destroy cancer cells. Although the treatment has shown success in blood cancers like leukemia, its effectiveness against solid tumors has been limited due to the tumors’ ability to evade immune attacks.

Dr. Rooney’s team continues to research ways to enhance the treatment’s potency and reduce side effects, aiming to benefit more patients in the future. Understanding why some patients respond better than others remains a key focus of their investigation.

This achievement in long-term cancer remission provides optimism for the future of cancer treatments, offering hope for improved outcomes and quality of life for patients.