A new milestone in the fight against #pediatriccancer

 
This week, @Novartis received #FDA approval for CAR-T…a therapy for the treatment of patients up to 25 years of age with B-cell precursor #acutelymphoblasticleukemia (ALL) that is refractory or in second or later relapse. This approval marks a historic moment in the fight against cancer.
 
This therapy treats very sick children who are often out of options and are about to die. They’re children who shouldn’t be fighting cancer, but should be out enjoying a normal childhood.
 
Take Emily for example. Diagnosed at the age of five, Emily was on the brink of death after her ALL relapsed and she wasn’t responding to existing treatments. Her parents were told that Emily’s only option was hospice care, but they refused to accept this. She was the first child enrolled in the clinical trial for this therapy. Although she did suffer some serious side effects and a high fever, her father Tom got the call that there was no evidence of cancer in her bone marrow biopsy just 23 days after Emily received her reprogrammed T cells. He says it was the best call he ever received. Today, Emily is still in remission. She is living the life of a typical girl, and is at the top of her class academically.

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