HUNT CANCER ‘CURE’

Push to fast-track new leukaemia treatment

PATIENTS battling deadly leukaemia will be “cured” by new therapy that can kill cancer within weeks.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt will today ask state counterparts to allow revolutionary CAR-T therapy in public hospitals in a bid to save more lives.

PATIENTS battling deadly leukaemia will be “cured” by a breathtaking new therapy that can kill cancer within weeks with just one injection of reprogrammed blood cells.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt will today ask state counterparts at a Council of Australian Governments meeting in Adelaide to allow the revolutionary CAR-T therapy in public hospitals, in a bid to save more lives.

CAR-T therapy works by taking a patient’s blood, separating the T-cells and reprogramming them to hunt cancer cells. The immunotherapy, which is being used in the US, uses a patient’s own blood to fight their cancer.

Mr Hunt told the Bulletin he wanted to make Australia one of the global treatment centres for CAR-T.

“I’m inviting all of the states to work with the Australian Government to help make this a reality at the earliest possible time,” he said.

“This is the result of cuttingedge medical research, and it is just one example of a new wave of cancer treatments that harness a patient’s own immune system to attack cancer.”

Rare Cancers Australia chief executive Richard Vines said the new therapy would save and dramatically change lives of many.

“The important thing to understand about CAR-T is that it can be a one-shot cure for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia patients (and) is particularly important for children with rare blood cancers,’’ Mr Vines said.

“Additionally, it holds the same promise for other cancers, such as myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.”

About four children a week are diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, and while the prognosis is usually

IT CAN BE A ONESHOT CURE FOR ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKAEMIA PATIENTS (AND) IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT FOR CHILDREN WITH RARE BLOOD CANCERS RICHARD VINES

good, their bodies are often ravaged by chemotherapy, and they can often relapse.

“We have seen families forced to pack up and take sick kids to the US for this lifesaving treatment,’’ Mr Vines said.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration and the Medical Services Advisory Committee are assessing Kymriah (a form of CAR-T) to decide whether it is safe and effective for use in Australia.