The promising CAR T-cell therapy for cancer patients was tried at a Greek public hospital for the first time on 22 January. A patient suffering from a chemoresistant primary mediastinal lymphoma underwent the therapy.
Greek Deputy Health Minister Vasilis Kontozamanis and health officials met with the press to discuss the new therapy, which was provided at the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit of Evangelismos Hospital in Athens. The hospital was selected in 2019 to implement the new treatment and has now completed the certification process.
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The therapy is regarded as revolutionary as it uses a patient’s own altered white blood cells to kill cancer cells. It is provided for cancer patients suffering from high-grade malignant lymphomas and acute lymphoblastic leukemia.