BHUBANESWAR: Ananta Mahakud had always envisioned a bright future for his only daughter Truptimayee. His dreams came crashing down like a set of ninepins when the 15-year-old girl was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
“She was just nine and studying in Class-IV when the blood cancer was first detected in 2018. It was as if the ground had shifted beneath us. After her initial treatment, we thought she had been cured, but the disease relapsed after five years and it shattered our world,” said Ananta.
Thanks to CAR-T cell therapy, an innovative treatment at IMS and SUM Hospital here, the young girl has got a new lease of life. Trupti is the fifth patient in the country and first in the eastern region to have undergone the groundbreaking therapy.
Head of the department of Clinical Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplant Dr Priyanka Samal said after countless consultations, the girl was provided NexCAR19, a type of CAR-T and gene therapy developed indigenously by ImmunoACT, a company incubated at IIT Bombay with clinical R&D partner Tata Memorial Hospital.
“This cutting-edge therapy involves modifying a patient’s T-cells to attack cancer cells more effectively. Introduced for the first time in eastern India, it has shown remarkable success in the case of Trupti. NexCAR19 is the future of cancer treatment, providing hope to patients with B-cell hematological malignancies who may not have had other viable treatment options,” said Dr Samal.
The therapy required courage and she showed tremendous spirit. “After relapsed leukemia, we felt like we had run out of options. This is when the doctor told us about CAR-T cell therapy. Initially I was nervous, but I had full confidence in my treating doctor. After the therapy, I got fever and then everything was normal,” said Trupti.
Dr Samal, who had become a beacon of hope for the Mahakud family, praised Trupti's resilience. “The girl fought like a warrior. She developed side effects like cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), which were managed successfully. Her determination inspired not just her family but the entire medical team. She has recovered completely and there is no trace of any cancer cell in her body,” she said.
Once a vibrant girl with dreams of becoming a doctor, Trupti is now back to her studies. Ananta and his wife Tapaswini stood by their daughter’s side through every step of her recovery. “Every day was a blessing. We are just grateful to have our daughter back,” she said with her voice filled with emotion.
Medical superintendent Dr Pusparaj Samantasinhar said SUM Hospital became the first hospital in Odisha to offer CAR T-cell therapy bringing this revolutionary treatment closer to home for patients who previously would have had to travel long distances, often abroad, and spend crores of rupees for such therapies. It is now available in the state within the affordable range, he added.