In a rare case, the vision of a 3-year-old girl suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) was restored at Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta, Bangalore. ALL is a kind of white blood cell malignancy that affects the blood and bone marrow. Even after receiving rigorous therapy, many children still have leukaemia cells in their bone marrow. The illness is referred to as relapsed/refractory (or ‘refractory ALL’) in these situations.
Dr Neema Bhat Senior Consultant- Haematology, Paediatric Oncology & BMT, Fortis Cancer Institute, Bangalore, “We developed a novel treatment plan with an ophthalmologist, Dr Vivek. The baby received a chemotherapy injection into the eyes, and after 3 doses of chemo, she regained complete vision in the right eye. Post treating her vision, we went ahead with Immunotherapy and her leukaemia was in remission. Luckily, she had a fully matched sister from whom she underwent bone marrow transplantation and she tolerated it very well. At present, it has been two months since the BMT, and the baby is leading a normal life today.”
BiTe Immunotherapy: An Effective Treatment For Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia
Dr Mangesh P Kamath- Senior Consultant – Medical Oncology and Hemato-Oncology, explained, “When we saw this cute girl with refractory blood cancer, we took up the challenge. We tapped into our international experience and the latest research to devise a treatment strategy that fortunately worked to not only control her blood cancer but also to regain her vision. BiTE immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of ALL today; BiTE targets the blood cancer cells specifically without causing any side effects. The child is currently free of blood cancer and is able to see clearly much to the delight of her parents. Seeing her parent’s joy on the results and getting her own hand-drawn wishes to us on National Doctors’ Day has certainly made the results immensely gratifying. ”
Dr Manish Mattoo, Zonal Director, Fortis Hospital, Bannerghatta Road said, “The patient’s age was a big challenge despite which our doctors, employing a multidisciplinary approach, carried out the procedure successfully. At Fortis Hospital Bannerghatta Road, we have always kept patient-centricity and consistent innovation at the core. This has helped us become a leader in innovative surgeries and a provider of responsible healthcare in the city.”
This post first appeared on The Health Site
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