Cancer can be tackled for better outcome by using the patient’s own immune cells, said experts from Japan and India while delivering lectures at the one-day international meeting organised as part of the seventh anniversary of Nichi-In Centre for Regenerative Medicine (NCRM ) in Chennai.

Prof Iwasaki and Dr Terunuma from Yamanashi University in Japan presented the immune cell based therapies in clinical practice in Japan that have helped improve the survival of cancer patients. Similar encouraging outcomes from experiments in India were presented by Dr Deenadayalan of Apollo Hospitals, Dr Sumana Premkumar of Kamakshi Memorial Hospital and Dr Ramanan of MCCF in Chennai.

According to the Japan doctors, one among every three person in Japan is becoming a victim to cancer in his/her lifetime. Japanese hospitals since late 1980s have been practicing autologous cell based immune therapies in which, the cancer patient’s own peripheral blood derived natural killer cells and cancer-killing lymphocytes are multiplied in the laboratory and given intravenously to treat cancer. This treatment named as Autologous Immune Enhancement Therapy (AIET).

AIET can be administered at any stage of cancer as it has no side effects. AIET when combined with conventional treatments, the survival is improved by 35 per cent or more.

The Indian doctors shared their experiences in India where a Philadelphia Chromosome positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia patient could survive beyond 6 years after AIET. An ovarian cancer patient could survive more than 2 years after diagnosis of stage IV cancer, and another ovarian cancer patient survived beyond 3-years.

Dr Dedeepiya Devaprasad presented the data of their overall Indian experience that included even advanced inoperable pancreatic cancer patients who could survive beyond 3 years after diagnosis. His talk narrated that AIET could be more beneficial when combined with Monoclonal antibodies.

The Fujio Cup Quiz, an exclusive inter-collegiate national level quiz on stem cells which is conducted for the seventh consecutive time was won by the Chengalpet Medical College team.