Madeira awaits authorization for T-cell therapy

Madeira is preparing to implement innovative T-cell therapy for certain types of lymphoma, pending formal authorization from the Portuguese Institute of Blood and Transplantation (IPST).

Regional Secretary for Health and Civil Protection, Micaela Freitas, announced that the equipment has already been installed at Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça and healthcare professionals have been trained. Once validated, the treatment is expected to benefit approximately 11 patients per year in the region, reducing the need for residents to travel to mainland Portugal for care.

The T-cell therapy process involves extracting a patient's blood to isolate T-cells, which are then multiplied in a laboratory before being infused back into the patient to combat disease.