Arthur Dalst had blood cancer, but the initial chemotherapy he received did not cure the cancer, leaving him very weak.
Thursday 18 January 2024 03:40, UK
An 11-year-old boy who underwent a new type of treatment and is now blood cancer-free told Sky News the drug gave him a “blast of energy”.
Arthur Dalst had leukemia, which conventional chemotherapy could not cure, leaving him extremely weak and suffering from severe side effects.
He was advised to try a new drug called blinatumomab (Blina). This is a kinder, more targeted, and much less toxic form of immunotherapy than chemotherapy.
Arthur was one of the first children to take part in the trial at London's Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).
Brina made him feel much better. It works by targeting a protein called CD19 on leukemia cells so that a person's immune system can recognize them.
The immune system can then attack and kill the leukemia cells.
Arthur told Sky News: “Chemotherapy was very tiring, I felt like I wanted to sleep all the time and I didn't have the energy to do anything.
“But Brina felt like she had a burst of energy. She was able to go out.”
This medicine comes in a bag filled with liquid and is given into your vein through a plastic tube.
“It is typically administered 24 hours a day for four weeks, followed by a two-week break without IV drips. It can also be administered at home using a portable infusion pump,” GOSH said on its website.
Arthur carried the medication in a rucksack he called his “Brina Backpack'' and injected it into his body day and night.
Arthur had to go to GOSH every four days to get his medication refilled, but the rest of the time he was at home with his family.
That meant he could do other things during treatment, like playing on the swings in the park.
His backpack was with him at all times, including in bed, and he was able to sleep soundly despite the pump making strange noises.
Brina “feels like the future,” said her mother, Sandrine Hoyts.
She said: She said, “I felt it was very effective in terms of removing negative influences.'' cancer But it also meant he could live with it. ”
At the end of April last year, Arthur underwent final surgery to remove the tube from his arm, which his mother says was a big step and left him “free”.
Approximately 450 children in the UK are diagnosed with Arthurian cancer each year.
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GOSH's Dr Sujit Samarasinghe explained that chemotherapy is “like a poison” and “attacks not only leukemia cells but also all normal cells in the body”.
“The role of the antibody is like a homing beacon. It shines a light on the leukemia cells, allowing the child's immune system to kill them, and only the leukemia cells.”
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Brina is not officially approved for use in children like Arthur, but it is being used tentatively in 20 hospitals across the country with positive results.
