A 16-year-old teenager of Indian origin, Yuvan Thakkar, is the first child to undergo CAR T therapy called tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah) in the UK, according to NHS England.
It comes as the National Health Service (NHS) marks a milestone this weekend in delivering the latest and most innovative treatments to 100,000 patients with the help of the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF). The fund covers the undisclosed cost of such treatments.
Thakkar was diagnosed with leukaemia when he was six years old and received treatment that modifies the immune cells in the body to better identify and attack cancer cells. His treatment was initiated in 2019, at the age of 11 following relapse despite prior chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.
Expressing his gratitude to Great Ormand Street Hospital (GOSH) where he received pioneering care, Thakkar describes how his life has changed so much post-treatment.
I remember I had to take so many trips to hospital and had long periods out of school… They have helped me recover to a state where I am able to enjoy so many things I love doing, such as playing snooker or pool, meeting friends and family, and going on wonderful holidays. It’s hard to imagine how things would have been if the treatment wasn’t available.Yuvan Thakkar, Patient diagnosed with leukaemia
The teen’s mother Sapna considers this a “second chance” at life since the success of the treatment. The 45-year-old said there may have been no other way for her son to receive the life-saving treatment without the fast-track access available through the CDF.
“It felt like our prayers were finally answered. We still feel so grateful for this chance that’s been given to us and not a single day passes by when we haven’t felt thankful for all the doctors and nurses that have helped us through this long and difficult journey,” said Sapna Thakkar.
The CDF, established in July 2016, is used by NHS England to expedite patients’ access to all new cancer treatments approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), in addition to gathering further evidence regarding the long-term effectiveness of promising drugs.
The fund provides benefits to people with common cancer types such as breast, lung, colorectal, and prostate, as well as those suffering from less common cancers, like ovarian, cervical, kidney, skin, myeloma, lymphoma, and leukaemia, and also includes rare cancers such as that of thyroid and biliary tract.
(Input from various sources )
(Rehash/Dr. Vineesha V/MSM)