Cancer Therapy Now Treats Autoimmune Diseases in India

Millions of Indians suffering from autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis may soon find relief from a surprising source: cancer treatment. CAR T-cell therapy, which reprograms a patient's own immune cells to fight disease, is showing remarkable results in resetting faulty immune systems without lifelong medication.

Autoimmune diseases occur when the body's defense system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues, causing inflammation and organ damage. Over 5 million Indians live with these conditions, which include lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Traditional treatments broadly suppress the entire immune system using steroids and immunosuppressants. While these medications control symptoms, they increase infection risk and rarely lead to long-term remission.

CAR T-cell therapy takes a different approach by precisely targeting the rogue immune cells causing the problem. Doctors collect a patient's T cells through a simple blood draw, then genetically engineer them in a lab to hunt down disease-causing B cells.

"We are trying to strengthen our immunity by fine-tuning our own T cells to fight these diseases," explains Dr. Dhaarani J, a Pediatric Hemato-Oncologist at Rela Hospital in Chennai. The modified cells are returned to the patient, where they eliminate the harmful immune cells while leaving the rest of the immune system intact.

Early results are encouraging. Dr. Gopinath M from MGM Cancer Institute reports that the therapy has proven effective for systemic lupus, inflammatory myositis, and autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Research is expanding to other conditions including systemic sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease.

Many patients achieve significant remission after treatment, dramatically reducing their need for multiple medications. The therapy offers something current treatments cannot: the possibility of a functional cure rather than lifelong symptom management.

Why This Inspires

This breakthrough represents more than just a new treatment option. It shows how solutions developed for one health crisis can transform care for completely different conditions.

For patients who have spent years managing chronic pain, fatigue, and organ damage while juggling multiple medications, CAR T-cell therapy offers something precious: hope for normal life. While the treatment requires expertise and significant resources, hospitals in Chennai and other major cities are already offering it to eligible patients.

The therapy's precision also means fewer side effects compared to traditional immunosuppressants that weaken the entire immune system. Patients can potentially fight off infections normally while keeping their autoimmune disease in check.

As more research emerges and the treatment becomes more accessible, millions of Indians living with autoimmune conditions may finally have a path beyond daily medications and constant disease management. The immune system that turned against them might finally be retrained to protect them again.