West Bengal doctors achieve twin success with cord transplant and CAR T-cell therapy
Doctors at Narayana Health, a private healthcare facility in West Bengal, have reported two rare successful treatments using advanced cellular therapies. A seven-year-old boy with thalassaemia was treated with a haplo-cord transplant, while a 62-year-old man from Myanmar suffering from a rare brain cancer received CAR T-cell therapy.
Thalassaemia is an inherited blood disorder that reduces the production of haemoglobin, leading to severe anaemia and requiring frequent blood transfusions. The child, diagnosed with HbE Beta thalassaemia, had been dependent on monthly transfusions. His parents were counselled to enrol in the “Save the Sibling” programme. Through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and pre-implantation genetic testing, they conceived a thalassaemia-free sibling whose HLA (human leukocyte antigen) type was compatible for transplantation. The transplant combined cord blood from the sibling with stem cells from the father, a procedure known as a haplo-cord transplant.
During the transplant period, the child developed complications including infections, mucositis, liver derangement, and persistent low blood counts. The medical team managed these effectively. The boy has recovered and is now transfusion-free, according to the doctors.
In the second case, the 62-year-old patient initially presented with gait disturbance, an unusual change in his walking pattern. He was diagnosed with primary CNS lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that can affect the brain, spinal cord, cerebrospinal fluid, or eyes. After four cycles of high-dose chemotherapy produced unsatisfactory results, the doctors opted for CAR T-cell therapy, an advanced type of immunotherapy. This involved collecting the patient’s lymphocytes, administering bridging radiation and other medications, and then infusing dual CAR T-cells targeting the CD19 and CD22 proteins on the cancer cells.
CAR T-cell therapy works by modifying a patient’s own immune cells to recognise and attack cancer cells. It has shown promise in various blood cancers, though its use in primary CNS lymphoma is still emerging. The patient’s recovery marks a notable application of this technology.
Joydeep Chakrabartty, Senior Consultant in Hemato Oncology and Clinical Lead for the BMT Programme (East) at Narayana Health, described the recoveries as landmark achievements. “Using the Haplo-cord technology for the child and the CAR T-cell therapy for the aged patient, the expert team of doctors attending them have been able to turn their lives around for the better. Narayana Health has always been at the forefront in breaking new grounds in medical science, and these two cases clearly reflect that,” he said.
Prasanta Chowdhury, Laboratory Director at Cord Life Sciences India Pvt. Limited, spoke about the complexities of cord blood banking. He said the core dilemma lies in choosing between private storage for family use and public donation for general use, weighed against high costs and low statistical odds of personal use. “In these two cases, we have successfully addressed every single concern with absolute compassion and clarity,” he said.
Both cases highlight how advanced cell-based treatments are being deployed in India to address difficult-to-treat conditions, offering new hope to patients and their families.
