Blood Cancer patient gets new lease of life as Odisha Hospital performs first CAR-T cell therapy

A 15-year-old girl suffering from blood cancer got a new lease of life, thanks to CAR-T cell therapy, an innovative treatment successfully conducted by a team of doctors at a prestigious hospital in Bhubaneswar. This is the first successful cancer treatment using CAR-T cell therapy in Odisha and the fifth in the country.

This cutting-edge therapy involves modifying a patient’s T-cells to attack cancer cells more effectively. Trupti from Mayurbhanj, who was suffering from acute leukemia, is the first patient in eastern India to receive the therapy.

“First, the doctors performed chemo on me. After two days gap, they conducted the CAR-T cell therapy. My condition is normal now. There was a little fever, but I’m normal now. I’m grateful to all the doctors,” an elated Trupti said.

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Dr. Priyanka Samal, Head of Department of Clinical Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant, IMS and SUM Hospital, under whose supervision the therapy was conducted successfully said, “CAR-T cell therapy is a very new concept. This is rampant in the West, but in India it is still in its baby steps. The patient is doing well after just one month of the therapy. Our hospital is the first in Odisha to offer CAR-T cell therapy bringing revolutionary treatment closer to patients who previously would have had to travel abroad and spend crores of rupees.” 

“Instead of spending crores of rupees, this therapy can be easily taken in just Rs 30-35 lakh which in my opinion is an affordable amount,” said Dr. Samal who was the beacon of hope for Trupti and her family throughout the treatment.

A vibrant girl, Trupti, is grateful for her new life and now dreams of becoming a doctor herself. “Every day was a blessing. We are just grateful to have our daughter back,” said Trupti’s parents with voice filled with emotions.