Chennai’s MGM Cancer Institute and MGM Healthcare Malar, Adyar have made a landmark leap in precision oncology.

 

The two hospitals successfully administered Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy (CAR-T Cell Therapy) to save the lives of two elderly patients with aggressive cancers after conventional treatments failed.

 

A next-generation, cell-based immunotherapy, CAR-T therapy engineers a patient’s own immune cells to detect and destroy cancer, offering new hope for advanced-stage cancers that have relapsed or resisted standard therapies.

 

One beneficiary, a 70-year-old man battling lymphoma for over eight months, faced complications from underlying cardiac issues that limited chemotherapy options. After a relapse left him with few conventional treatments, he underwent CAR-T therapy at MGM Healthcare Malar, Adyar.

 

The second patient, a 62-year-old man diagnosed with refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma—a fast-growing cancer affecting B cells—had failed first-line chemotherapy just four months earlier. With a poor prognosis due to treatment resistance, he received CAR-T therapy at MGM Cancer Institute.

 

“Precision oncology continues to create newer, biology-driven treatment pathways tailored to each individual. Even advanced-stage cancers need not mean the end of options,” said Dr MA Raja, Director and Senior Consultant, Medical Oncology, MGM Cancer Institute. 

 

“In our hospitals, the CAR-T program has been developed with a strong emphasis on customised care, patient safety, and financial responsibility. By using optimal insurance utilisation, and judicious avoidance of ICU admission wherever clinically appropriate, our team delivered this complex therapy in a cost-effective and sustainable manner, making it more accessible to patients.”

 

Explaining the procedure, Dr M Gopinathan, Consultant, Hemato-Oncology (BMT), MGM Cancer Institute, said, “This technology works by rebooting the patient’s own immune system. T cells are collected from the patient’s blood through a specialised process and sent to an advanced laboratory, where they are carefully reprogrammed to recognise and attack cancer cells. 

 

"After thorough quality checks, the modified cells are returned to the hospital and infused back into the patient to fight the disease. This form of cellular therapy represents a major advancement in modern blood cancer treatment.”

 

He added that transplant physicians customise chemotherapy for each patient and ensure the primary disease is under control before infusing CAR-T cells. 

 

“This process requires a well-equipped apheresis centre, an advanced GMP-certified laboratory, and a dedicated intensive care unit to deliver seamless, end-to-end care. Robust logical support with adequate maintenance of temperature is needed when we do transfer of cells between laboratories. 

 

"The research improvisations with CAR-T production and delivery are constantly evolving over time, to reduce side effects, and in future, expanded access to their use in autoimmune disorders is just a footstep away.”

 

Dr Suman Kalyan N, Senior Consultant – Medical Oncology and Director, CAR-T Program, MGM Healthcare Malar, Adyar, emphasised the personalised nature of cancer care: “Every patient is different, and every cancer behaves differently. That is why precision oncology is the future of cancer care. With CAR-T and advanced molecular therapies, we can now personalise treatment even in complex and advanced cases.”

 

“These protocols are designed not only for Indian patients, but also for international patients seeking high-quality, affordable cancer care—reinforcing Chennai’s long-standing reputation as the capital of global health tourism,” he added.