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South India's longest-know Car-T therapy survivors in Bengaluru return to daily life
Bengaluru: Two of South India's longest-known survivors of Car-T cell therapy are now regaining strength and embracing their return to everyday life. Rehan, 43, and Parimala, 66, (names changed) shared their emotional and inspiring recovery journeys with reporters during an event hosted by Narayana Health City last week.
Rehan, who was diagnosed with stage 3 follicular lymphoma, said he had exhausted all conventional treatment options before turning to Car-T therapy, a type of treatment that uses the patient's own genetically modified T-cells. "I was mentally prepared — both my parents were cancer patients. I didn't need counselling. I was ready to fight for the sake of my family," he said.
Having endured multiple rounds of chemotherapy and several relapses, Rehan opted for Car-T therapy in Nov 2022.
Today, he is in his 31st month of remission. "Unlike chemotherapy, Car-T didn't have the severe side-effects. No hair loss, no nausea, no psychological trauma from physical changes. I was immunocompromised, yes, and had to avoid crowds, but I've got back to 80-85% of my pre-cancer energy levels," he said.
The treatment involved two cycles of palliative chemotherapy followed by a 30-day hospital stay, during which he received the Car-T cell infusion and was kept under observation.
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PET CT scans have since consistently shown that the disease remains in remission. "There's no daily medication now. I work in sales and marketing, and live a fairly normal life," he added.
He did, however, recall a mild setback: "I caught an infection during Umrah (a non-mandatory Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca), but it was quickly managed by the hospital."
Parimala's story, as translated from Tamil by her son-in-law, painted a similarly uplifting picture.
Once struggling to move or eat during chemotherapy, she now walks unaided, eats normally, and even assists her daughter in cooking. "She regained the weight she lost during chemo and can now eat a full diet, no longer limited to liquids," he said.
Diagnosed with lymphoma in 2018, Parimala initially underwent six chemotherapy cycles in Coimbatore, relapsing two years later and enduring another six cycles before opting for Car-T therapy.
Dr Sharat Damodar, senior consultant haematologist and lead researcher at Narayana Health City, noted that both patients were among over 20 enrolled in the centre's Immunil Car-T therapy trial launched three years ago.
"If I look back at South India, these are the longest surviving patients post Car-T therapy. We're preparing to launch myeloma trials next, along with second-phase trials for leukaemia and lymphoma across more centres," he said.
Dr Nitin Manjunath, director at Narayana Health City, said: "We're in discussions with insurance providers and govt bodies, including the Karnataka govt, to include Car-T therapy in reimbursement schemes. All treatments at Narayana are currently covered under Narayana Health Insurance," he added.
