Malaga's Materno Infantil hospital administers CAR-T therapy to child with leukaemia for the first time

In Malaga at least, it had never before been administered to a child. That is, until now, as the Materno Infantil hospital has administered it for the first time to a child suffering from B-cell lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL).

According to the hospital, this is a highly complex procedure intended for patients for whom conventional treatment options are limited. They reported no complications in the treatment they had carried out.

Acute B-cell lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) is a type of blood cancer that originates in the bone marrow and causes the uncontrolled production of lymphoblasts, immature cells that should develop into B lymphocytes. These abnormal cells displace healthy blood cells and can also accumulate in other organs.

It is the most common form of leukaemia in children and, in some patients, may be resistant to treatment or recur following initial therapy.

"CAR-T therapy is an innovative personalised cell therapy strategy. The process begins with the extraction of T-lymphocytes from the patient's own blood. These cells are sent to a specialised laboratory, where they are genetically modified so that they can recognise a specific marker present on myeloma cells. These 'reprogrammed' T cells are then reinfused into the patient so that they can identify and eliminate the tumour cells," Dr Carola Díaz Aizpún told SUR.

"It is a very significant step forward in terms of access to advanced therapies in our region," she stated.

This is one of the key priorities of Hospital Regional and the Andalusian public health service. Every two months, there is a significant development in the broad field of haematological cancers, thanks to the pioneering use of a new treatment in this area.

In the case of children, this milestone represents a further step forward in the treatment of particularly complex haematological conditions.

For Manuel Muñoz, head of the haematology department at Hospital Regional, "the administration of the first paediatric CAR-T therapy represents a very important step for the hospital".

"It is the result of coordinated work between numerous specialists and departments, enabling treatments that were unavailable to patients until a few years ago," he stated.

In CD19+ B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, CAR-T therapy is suitable for paediatric patients and young adults up to the age of 25 with refractory disease, who have experienced a second or subsequent relapse or who have experienced a relapse following an allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant.

Its introduction has represented a significant advance for high-risk patients with limited prospects of a cure using conventional treatments.

The administration of CAR-T therapy requires close coordination throughout the entire process. At the Materno Infantil hospital, the team comprises specialists in haematology, paediatric intensive care, paediatric neurology, immunology, hospital pharmacy and nursing.

Their collaborative work ranges from patient selection and preparation through to the administration of the cells and subsequent follow-up, which requires specialised monitoring to detect and treat any potential complications.

This first paediatric treatment forms part of the CAR-T programme at Hospital Regional, which began administering these treatments to adult patients in 2023. The Ministry of Health accredits the treatment for both over-18s and children population with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

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