CAR-T Cost in Malaysia

A. While the speed of recovery may vary from patient to patient, they are still required to stay for about 30 days after discharge. During this time, the patient undergoes medical tests and consultations. This is to ensure that the treatment was successful and the patient is safe to return.

A. There are certain additional costs that the patient has to pay apart from the CAR-T cost. These charges start from USD 100 per person.

A. The following are some of the best cities for CAR-T in Malaysia:

• Kuala Lumpur
• Subang Jaya
• Shah Alam
• Port Klang

A. After CAR-T, the patient is supposed to stay for about 2 days in the hospital for recovery and monitoring. The patient is subjected to several biochemistry and radiological scans to see that everything is okay and the recovery is on track. After making sure that the patient is clinically stable, discharge is planned.

A. There are more than 5 hospitals that offer CAR-T in Malaysia. These hospitals have proper infrastructure for the treatment of patients who require kidney transplants. Apart from good services, the hospitals are known to follow all standard and legal guidelines as dictated by the local medical affairs body or organization.

A. Immunotherapy refers to the use of the patient’s immune system to fight cancer that involves the isolation of T cells which are a form of WBC and genetically modifies them to be able to identify cancerous cells. T cells are altered in the laboratory to form one that responds to a receptor found on cancerous cells and the jury is later introduced in the body to combat illness.

A. In CAR T-cell therapy, T cells are harvested from the patient’s blood by a method known as leukapheresis. These T cells are subsequently genetically engineered in the laboratory to constitute a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that directs the T cell to widely distributed proteins in cancer cells. The CAR T-cells are then returned to the patient’s body and they go on to destroy the cancer-causing cells.

A. CAR T-cell therapy has been most effective in treating blood cancers, such as:

• Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
• Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL)
• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. connector disease characterized by the malignancy of B lymphocytes.
• Mantle cell lymphoma
• Multiple myeloma

Assigning is currently being studied for other forms of cancers such as other liquid tumors and solid cancers such as breast, lung, and pancreatic cancers.

A. CAR T-cell therapy is usually a one-and-only treatment per cycle because the T cells themselves are programmed to remain within the body and attack cancer cells. Nevertheless, other booster doses may be needed if the cancer reoccurs or the initial response is not satisfactory.

A. While CAR T-cell therapy is a promising treatment, it does carry risks, including:

• Cytokine release syndrome (CRS): A type of generalized inflammatory response resulting from increased cytokine production causing symptoms such as fever, hypotension, and organ dysfunction.
• Neurotoxicity: Intracranial complications like confusion, dysphagia or dysarthria, seizures, or encephalopathy.
• Infections: Other symptoms may include cancer-induced immune deficiencies that make the patient vulnerable to infections.
• B-cell depletion: The therapy can cause reduce in normal B cells hence reducing the production of antibodies by the immune system or resistance to infection.

A. CAR T-cell therapy requires a shorter time and may take about 30-60 minutes. Yet, preparation and the constant observation process surrounding the application may take several days. People receiving the infusion are often closely observed for weeks for some side effects like cytokine release syndrome.

A. Common side effects of CAR T-cell therapy include:

• Cytokine release syndrome (CRS): The common signs are headache, fever, malaise, vomiting, and hypotension.
• Neurotoxicity: Hallucination, dysphagia, and headaches.
• Fatigue and weakness
• Infections: This is because, as a result of the immune dysfunction.
• Low blood counts: This can result in anemia, thrombocytopenia decreased blood clotting, and the ability to bleed or to develop an infection or fight it.
• B-cell depletion: The ability to resist infections also decreases.

A. CAR T-cell therapy response rates are partly determined by the type of cancer and other factors of the patient. In clinical trials:

• In acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), some of the response rates have been 80 - 90% depending on the clinical study done.
• In the case of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, ‘the overall response rate ranges from 50 - 70%, and the DLBCL subgroup of patients has a substantial proportion of long-term survivors.
  It has been used successfully in treating some patients, especially patients with blood cancers but depending on the type of cancer, the stage of cancer, or the way the cancer patient has reacted to the therapy.

A. Eligibility for CAR T-cell therapy depends on several factors, including:

• Type of cancer: It is mainly useful in the treatment of blood cancers such as; lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma.
• Previous treatments: They are largely received from patients who have not responded to other therapies such as chemotherapy or those that have regressed after treatment.
• Overall health: A patient who can receive this therapy should be in good enough health to endure the side effects that accompany it.
• Age and medical conditions: This is so because age, other illnesses, and experience of complications can affect the level of eligibility.