CAR T-cell therapy successfully treats myeloma in Hong Kong
University of Hong Kong announces first use of treatment
A CAR T-cell therapy manufactured in mainland China has been successfully deployed for the first time in Hong Kong to treat a man with myeloma, according to the University of Hong Kong.
The 73-year-old man was diagnosed with myeloma in 2010, according to a university news story. Four years after the diagnosis, he received standard frontline myeloma treatment, which involves targeted therapy followed by a stem cell transplant. His myeloma soon relapsed, and he received multiple, additional lines of therapy that failed to control his tumor.
By 2024, the man was receiving radiation therapy in an attempt to address a large myeloma mass in his pelvis. He was experiencing severe pain and bowel incontinence, requiring catheters in his bladder and kidney to pass urine. By this point, the patient was totally bed-bound, unable to sit or walk.
On Dec. 31, 2024, the man underwent treatment with a CAR T-cell therapy, a type of cell therapy.
T-cells are a type of immune cell that is able to kill other cells, including cancer cells. In CAR T-cell therapy, T-cells are collected from a patient, then engineered in a lab to equip them with a molecule called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), a cellular weapon that directs the T-cell to attack a specific molecular target. In this case, the man’s T-cells were equipped with a CAR targeting BCMA, a protein that’s expressed by myeloma cells.
Treatment seen having ‘significant impact’ in Hong Kong
The man underwent a lymphodepletion regimen, in which chemotherapy is used to deplete existing immune cells. The engineered cells were then infused into his body to go after the cancer.
By the end of January and early February, imaging scans showed that the man had a complete response to the CAR T-cell therapy. In other words, no cancer was detected on these scans. As of the latest follow-up, researchers reported that the patient had almost completely recovered and was able to independently care for himself and go to and from the clinic unaided.
The procedure was done at Queen Mary Hospital, which is currently the only clinic in Hong Kong that offers CAR T-cell therapy for myeloma patients. The hospital has been using CAR T-cell to treat various blood cancers since 2021, and researchers said that the pilot program in myeloma aims to treat five to 10 patients per year.
“BCMA CAR-T cell therapy will have a significant impact on myeloma management in Hong Kong, as it represents one of the most effective salvage strategies for myeloma,” said . It can provide a life-saving option for patients who do not respond to standard therapy or experience a relapse after [stem cell transplant],” said Eric Tse Wai-choi, PhD, associate dean (research) and clinical professor at the university. “It can provide a life-saving option for patients who do not respond to standard therapy or experience a relapse after [stem cell transplant].”
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