2023-06-20 17:33:26
“The balance of these years is extremely positive. Car-T are more than a therapy, because patients, from incurable, when they work, heal. But it must be remembered, however, that, since these are very specialized treatments, which rightly require adequate centres, access, for many patients, was only possible thanks to the AIL accommodation houses.There are patients who, for a life-saving treatment, if they had not had an AIL home, would not have been able to receive therapy and even stay 3 months in another city This is not done by the Health Service, but Ail does something that is not only for research, but which is really in support of patients “, said Paolo Corradini, president of the Italian Hematology Society (SIE) and director of the Division of Hematology, Irccs Foundation National Cancer Institute of Milan – Chair of Hematology, University of Milan, in his speech today in Rome, at the presentation of the 18th edition of the National Day of the Italian Association for the fight against leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma (Ail), which is celebrated tomorrow, June 21st.
“Car-Ts – recalls Corradini – are aimed at those patients who have exhausted all conventional therapeutic options, including transplantation. It uses genetically engineered lymphocytes from the patient to attack cancer cells. Patients, when the therapy works, recover. At 5-6 years they are alive and in remission. In addition to being humanity’s first anti-cancer cure, therefore an epochal turning point – he reflects – the Car-T do not subject the patient to problems on the quality of life, there are no therapies to be administered every 3-4 weeks. It’s a single infusion, and when it works, they’re off the drugs.”
Today, in addition to the results of the international experience, “we also have the original data relating to about 600 patients who were treated in Italy and presented at recent meetings – underlines Corradini – Of the patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, 40% have a remission of long duration and in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children and young adults 50% achieved a lasting benefit. Ours was the first Italian center authorized to administer Car-T – he observes – and we now have a follow-up of over three years, the patients do not take any drugs and are doing well”.
As far as multiple myeloma is concerned, “unfortunately, Italy – observes President Sie – has a delay in the authorization of the two cellular products which are already available, for example, in Germany and which could be of extreme importance in those patients in where all therapeutic options have failed. Indeed – he adds – one of these has a complete cellular response in over 70% of cases and therefore they would be a fundamental tool in the therapeutic armamentarium. In our country there are very positive experiences, but at the moment only in clinical trials. The worst aspect is that we are not even able to predict the approval times and in the meantime – reasons Corradini – the situation for patients and their families is getting worse. In our center, we have recently begun to initiate procedures to refer patients to Car-T treatment for myeloma in Germany. For life-saving drugs, it would be advisable to provide for different and differentiated approval procedures because a sick person cannot wait”.
The next expected indications for CAr-T are “in follicular lymphoma and aggressive lymphomas in first relapse – explains President Sie – which could theoretically be available in a fairly short time because they are already approved” by the American drug agencies (Fda) and European (EMA). Car-Ts are a fairly recent category of advanced therapies, they arrived in 2019-2020, but now we know that they will remain and that they are looking to expand to other sectors as well and will continue to be studied in medicine”. Between Sie and Ail “the partnership is excellent and we are proud of it – concludes Corradini – in many cases it has allowed us hematologists to give concrete support to people. You intend to be the guarantor of Ail scientific information for patients. Ours is a 360 degree alliance”.
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