Experimental CAR T-cell therapy treats severe pediatric liver cancer

A three-year-old child in the United States has successfully overcome hepatoblastoma, a severe and rare form of liver cancer, using experimental CAR T-cell immunotherapy. This treatment involves genetically reprogramming a patient’s immune cells to target and attack cancer cells.

While CAR T-cell therapy has seen significant success in treating blood cancers, its application to solid tumors has historically been much more difficult. The success in this case offers new hope for treating pediatric solid tumors. Hepatoblastoma is the most common primary liver cancer in children, typically diagnosed in infants and children under three years of age.

Dr. Igor Stojkovski, Director of the Clinic for Radiotherapy and Oncology, noted that while the results are encouraging, larger studies and longer-term monitoring are required to confirm the long-term efficacy and safety of the treatment. The case was part of the CARE clinical trial conducted by Baylor College of Medicine.