In a remarkable use of regenerative therapy, a woman with advanced cancer has been successfully treated using her own immune cells, specifically T cells. This innovative approach has shown extraordinary results in combating one of the most aggressive forms of cancer.
Looking back, she said, the key step was finding an alternative to the doctor’s recommendation, the therapy that might have bought her 16 months. “Had I made the choice to not get a second opinion,” Doble said, “I would be dead.”
The patient, Katie Doble, had stage 4 cancer that had spread to her liver and brain. Key highlights of her journey and treatment included:
- Traditional treatments, including chemotherapy, proved ineffective.
- She underwent 3 separate clinical trials all of which failed.
- With a 4th trial, she was treated at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center by Dr Udai Kammula, Director of the Solid Tumor Cell Therapy Program at Hillman Cancer Center. Dr Kammula developed a personalized treatment with T cells.
- Dr Kammula grew T Cells in a lab dish to create enough tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, or TILs, to fight her cancer effectively.
- After the treatment, Doble has remained cancer-free for over two years.
The success of this treatment lies in the power of regenerative medicine including the remarkable capabilities of T cells. By harnessing the patient’s own immune system, doctors were able to create a targeted therapy that effectively fought the cancer cells. This approach represents a significant shift from traditional cancer treatments, offering new hope for patients with advanced-stage cancers.
Click below to go to the Washington Post story which provides a detailed account of her journey and reviews the treatment process and the promising implications for future cancer therapies.
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