Personal Health

At Leipzig’s University hospital, New Gen tested:-therapy in a cancer patient

You should extend the life expectancy significantly or even lead to cures: a new Gene therapy against cancer. Now she came for the first Time at the University hospital of Leipzig, a – to a patient with cancer of the lymph nodes. The therapy have to beat him, and report to the Doctors.

At the Leipzig University hospital (UKL) was treated a Patient with lymph gland cancer for the first Time a Gene-therapy with any prospect of success. After they had exhausted all other treatment options, was chosen by the Doctors for a combination of cell – and Gene-therapy, which was only approved in August of last year in Europe. Your Name: Kymriah.

“Successful treatment with Kymriah could lead to a significantly prolonged life expectancy of the patient, or – in the best case – even a cure,” said the hospital.

Whether the therapy was not really successful, can only be in a few months, say

The Leipzig Doctors are confident: The first few days after treatment have shown that the therapy glands in the case of the man with advanced lymphatic cancer would be beat. His condition had already improved considerably, the patients “well”.

“He has no severe side effects occurred, that is excellent,” says Uwe Platzbecker, Director of the Medical clinic and polyclinic I, and head of the Department of Hematology and cell therapy. Of a correct “success” he wanted to speak but only if the Tumor was not grown after three months and after a year in the best case, completely or at least half gone.

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Severe side effects: The first ten days after the initiation of therapy are crucial

In the case of Gene therapy with the active ingredient Tisagenlecleucel enriched can be manipulated immune cells of cancer patients that are genetically engineered so that it is targeted against a specific Tumor procedure, explained Becker.

For this you will be taken to the patient at a Apharese (blood wash), for the treatment in a special laboratory in the USA sent to the patient and then re-fed. “What is new is that no antibody binds the cancer cell and destroyed, but the immune cell, the T-cell itself,” says course Becker.

Especially the first ten days after return of the modified cellular material in the body can be difficult: Serious side effects can occur including flu-like symptoms, high fever, pneumonia, or acute kidney damage

The cost for the Gene-therapy will be around 340.000 Euro

This critical Phase have survived the Leipzig Patient healing, according to the UKL, an encouraging, “the first part of success”. Now the manipulated cells could address your “hike” in the lymph nodes of the man and begin to destroy the cancer cells.

The Gene therapy Krymiah made by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, costs around 340,000 euros. For clinic Director of course Becker is the first use of the UKL represents an “important milestone”, more applications will follow. In four patients, the insurance companies had already given their approval, a further five were still on the waiting list.