Relapsed Lymphoma Cases See CAR-T Intervention at MGM Cancer Institute in Chennai

Dr. M.A Raja, Director and Senior Consultant, Medical Oncology, MGM Cancer Institute, and Dr. Suman Kalyan. N, Senior Consultant and Director, CAR-T Program, MGM Healthcare Malar, Adyar, detail structured cellular therapy protocols for treatment resistant blood cancers

Chennai | March 3, 2026: MGM Cancer Institute and MGM Healthcare Malar, Adyar have delivered Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy, commonly known as CAR-T therapy, to patients diagnosed with relapsed and treatment resistant lymphoma.
CAR-T therapy involves collecting a patient’s T cells through an apheresis procedure, modifying them in a laboratory to recognise specific cancer markers, and reinfusing the engineered cells into the patient. The approach is used in advanced blood cancers where conventional chemotherapy has not achieved adequate disease control.

One of the patients, a 70 year old man diagnosed with lymphoma, had underlying cardiac complications that limited full dose chemotherapy. Following relapse, he underwent CAR-T therapy at MGM Healthcare Malar, Adyar.
Another patient, aged 62, was diagnosed with refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma and had not responded to first line chemotherapy administered four months earlier. He received CAR-T therapy at MGM Cancer Institute.
Dr. M.A Raja, Director and Senior Consultant, Medical Oncology, MGM Cancer Institute, said, “Precision oncology continues to create newer, biology driven treatment pathways tailored to each individual. Even advanced stage cancers need not mean the end of options. In our hospitals, the CAR-T program has been developed with a strong emphasis on customised care, patient safety, and financial responsibility. By using optimal insurance utilisation, and judicious avoidance of ICU admission wherever clinically appropriate, our team delivered this complex therapy in a cost effective and sustainable manner, making it more accessible to patients.”

Dr. M. Gopinathan, Consultant, Hemato-Oncology BMT, MGM Cancer Institute, explained that the process requires a fully equipped apheresis centre, a GMP certified laboratory and temperature controlled transfer systems for cellular products. He noted that transplant physicians customise preparatory chemotherapy before infusion to ensure disease control prior to CAR-T cell administration.
Dr. Suman Kalyan. N, Senior Consultant and Director, CAR-T Program, MGM Healthcare Malar, Adyar, said, “Every patient is different, and every cancer behaves differently. That is why precision oncology is the future of cancer care. With CAR-T and advanced molecular therapies, we can now personalise treatment even in complex and advanced cases.”

He added that structured and insurance supported protocols have been developed to make advanced cellular therapy feasible for a broader patient base, including international patients seeking care in Chennai.
The programme is supported by an integrated multidisciplinary team spanning oncology, transfusion medicine, nursing, pharmacy and critical care services.
Photo Caption: L-R- Dr. Suman Kalyan. N, Senior Consultant – Medical Oncology and Director, CAR-T Program, MGM Healthcare Malar, Adyar; Dr. M.A Raja, Director and Senior Consultant, Medical Oncology, MGM Cancer Institute; Dr. M. Gopinathan, Consultant, Hemato-Oncology BMT, MGM Cancer Institute.

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