First NHS patient receives treatment pioneered by CTC studies
A groundbreaking new therapy for people with an aggressive form of blood cancer has been used to treat an NHS patient for the first time. The treatment, a type of immunotherapy called CAR T cell therapy, was trialled in the CTC-led research studies ALLCAR19 and CARPALL.
CAR T cell therapy works by collecting a patient’s own immune cells (T cells), genetically reprogramming them to recognise and attack cancer cells, and then returning them to the bloodstream as personalised “living medicine”. Once infused, the modified cells can continue to multiply and fight the cancer inside the body.
In clinical trials, 77% of patients went into remission after treatment, with around half remaining cancer-free after three and a half years. Around 50 NHS patients a year are expected to benefit initially.
The first NHS patient to receive the treatment, 28-year-old Oscar Murphy from Greater Manchester, was diagnosed with B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) in 2025. He has now completed two CAR-T infusions at Manchester Royal Infirmary.
His interview, with the BBC’s medical editor Fergus Walsh, can be read over at BBC news.
Image: Manchester Royal Infirmary, Stephen Richards
