Ms. Aruna Tyagi, a 44 year old patient of cholangiocarcinoma (gallbladder duct) treated by Dr. Jamal A. Khan by dendritic cell therapy, is cancer-free for the last five years. Ms. Tyagi had primary cancer in common bile duct, pancreas and duodenum. She was operated upon by Whipple's procedure in May 2006 and completed her cheomotherapy and radiation, but the success was short lived. After 9 months she developed a swelling in abdominal wall (secondary metastsis). The surgeon took a second chance and she was again operated for abdominal metastasis. She was offered second line chemotherapy by her treating physician but she refused knowing it would  not give her long term benefits. She came to know of Dr. Jamal A. Khan, cancer immunotherapist, pioneer of Dendritic cell therapy in India. Dr. Khan MBBS, MD who has treated over a thousand patients till date, discussed the treatment plan with her. He put her on low-dose gemcitabine chemotherapy along with DENVAX -dendritic cell therapy. She received three doses of gemcitabine and three doses of DENVAX dendritic cell therapy in the initial two months period and later on kept on DENVAX-monthly therapy. She was constantly monitored by serum marker tests and ultrasound exams. Gradually, the DENVAX therapy was given at increasing intervals. In August 2009, she was subjected to PET-CT examination and found to be completely free of disease with no active lesions found. 

She continues to receive DENVAX therapy from Dr. Jamal A. Khan and is cancer-free, till date.

Disclaimer: It is the ICTs policy never to disclose patient identity. This is an isolated case where we are disclosing the patient's identity. This information is shared in consent with Mrs. Aruna Tyagi.  

A 60 year old female presented with metastatic clear cell carcinoma of kidney in December 2007. Her right kidney was excised and subjected to histopathology examination. It revealed pathological stage TNM- pT3 N1 M1. Her complaints were pain in abdomen and frequent urination. She presented with weight loss and anemia. 

She was given the option of DENVAX, dendritic cell-based immunotherapy. She received five doses at monthly interval. In three doses, her complaints began to resolve and was back to her normal self in five doses. Intermittently, she continued to receive DENVAX therapy.

She was again evaluated in March 2011 for routine check up and was further advised to received additional DC therapies. Her reports indicate no active disease. Overall her health is good and she does all her normal activities without any assistance.

She is completing 4 years of her quality life without receiving chemotherapy, monoclonal antibodies or interferons and is maintained on dendritic cell therapy. 

A middle-aged male diagnosed with advanced-stage carcinoma recto-sigmoid region with lung metastasis came from the Middle East to receive dendritic cell therapy after exhausting all the conventional treatment plans. He presented with a good performance status but was having occasional cough and breathlessness. He had earlier received chemotherapy and avastin therapy but the disease was progressing to lungs.

He was given 1^st dose of dendritic cell therapy in India and the rest five doses he took to his country. He started the DENVAX treatment in December 2010. He completed the six doses in five months and during this treatment he gained 2 kg of weight and improvement in his symptoms. His breathlessness subsided and appetite improved. He has shown no evidence of disease progression and is radiologically stable.

He came for second course of DENVAX of six doses in 2011. He is doing his routine activities including his professional work.

A 46 year old male was operated for mediastinal tumor in 2010. It was diagnosed as T-cell lymphoma (Lymphoblastic Lymphoma). He started his treatment with chemotherapy. Each time he had to be admitted for managing the complications of chemotherapy. He was losing weight and appetite and having erosions of mucosal membrane. He required G-CSF injections along with antibiotics and lots of IV fluids to maintain his cell counts and nutrition. He was unable to tolerate 4^th dose of chemotherapy when he consulted his oncologist to combine chemotherapy with dendritic cell therapy. During the course of conventional treatment he received mediastinal radiation also for 4 weeks.  The oncologist accepted the protocol and the chemotherapy was combined with DENVAX cell therapy doses that concluded in six months (from November 2010 to April 2011).  

With this combined approach he stopped developing the post-chemotherapy complication. The patient suffered no chemo-related adverse effects contrary to the earlier findings. He has  improved in performance status and is working in his office without taking a day-off from work. He is having regular follow ups and is free of disease as confirmed by his PET-CT in January 2011.

A middle aged lady presented in August 2007 with complaints of CD20 negative NHL. She had earlier responded to chemotherapy,but her disease was reappearing. Immune profile of her disease was studied, and she was educated about the chances of her recovery with DC therapy. She consented for DC therapy and her treatment was started in September 2007. At the time of her induction for treatment, her PET-CT indicated lesions in B/L Lungs and spleen. She was having pea sized cervical lymph node also. There were constitutional symptoms of poor appetite, weakness, lassitude, and weight loss. She was given three doses of DENVAX in the same number of months. She improved symtomaticaly during this period. Her PET-CT was repeated in March 2008  and it showed clearing  her lesions in spleen and lungs. The cervical lymph node is no more palpable. She continues to have her treatment at three monthly-intervals. She has gained 5 kg of weight and is leading a symptom free life.

We have done series of ovarian cancer patients and the presentation is available in publications section of our webpages.

One of our patient was diagnosed with CA left maxilla in the year 2005. He was operated upon and received chemotherapy as well as radiation. Later, his tumor reappeared at the same site within a gap of six months leading to second surgery and chemotherapy. He decided for DENVAX. He has received 8 doses of DC Vaccine in 18 months and there is no recurrence till date. He is back to his job and is enjoying life by playing badminton for two hours every evening. He continued DENVAX treatment for another 2 doses given 4 months apart and has completed stopped DENVAX in 2007. He is last evaluated in November 2009 and is radiologically free of disease.

A 48 year old bed-ridden male patient, suffering from multiple myeloma with recurrent-urinary infection came to us in June 2006. His disease progressed from solitary plasmacytoma to multiple myeloma over a period of three years. During this period he received various cycles of chemotherapy and pelvic radiation. He was also operated upon for fracture of neck femur. His IgG was 4500 mg/dL at that time. Bone scan revealed multiple active sites all along the spine and pelvic girdle. His performance status was poor and there were no active regimes of chemotherapy available at that stage. We started giving him Dendritic cell cancer vaccine manufactured using his M band protein content as antigen processed in our lab. He received eight doses of DC cancer vaccines till September of 2007. For the last one year, he was able to walk a few steps, take bath on his own, and his performance status hadimproved. His recent bone scan indicated regression of disease. There was benefit both, in survival and quality of life. The patient ceases to survive.

A 28 yr old lady was treated for osteosarcoma of right tibia, in 2005. She received radiation and chemotherapy after the amputation of her right leg. Later, she developed metastasis in both lung fields and was again advised for chemotherapy in November 2006.  Instead she opted for a combined treatment plan of chemotherapy and Dendritic cell therapy; she has received three cycles of chemotherapy and 7 DC vaccines till date. Her post treatment CT scan reveals normalcy of lung fields. She has been rehabilitated and is back to her normal routine with a near perfect performance status.

A 68 yr old lady came to us in Dec 2005 with left lobe Large cell cancer of the lung with pleural effusion from the same side. She had till then received a single dose of chemotherapy and had refused further doses. Pleural tapping was done and her TAA was identified and stored for DC vaccine preparation. She received 9 doses of DC therapy in a 9 month period. Her PFT improved and also the performance status. CECT remained unremarkable. The pleural fluid was replaced by consolidation. The tumor has not progressed since then and there is no evidence of metastasis to any organ. The patient is surviving and is no more receiving DC vaccines. She is now on immunotherapy for the last 12 months. 

A 54 yr old lady suffering from cancer of left breast, presented with complaints of back ache and restriction of movement, in  July 2006. Her bone scan revealed multiple skeletal metastases. The X ray of March 2006 revealed osteophytic degenerative changes at D7 to D12 and Lumbar vertebrae. She was given six cycles of chemotherapy during the period 2004- to June 2006. The lesions reduced in size, but later reappeared alongwith the bony mets. She was put on Dendritic cell cancer vaccine therapy and has received 6 doses since then. There is improvement in performance status and is walking without support. She occasionally takes pain killers for the back ache. She is still receiving DC therapy at three-monthly intervals.

A female patient of Cholangiocarcinoma (Gallbladder duct) treated earlier in 2007 by surgery, chemotherapy and radiation came to us the same year. She had primary cancer in CBD, Pancreas and doudenum. She was operated upon by Whipple's procedure and completed her chemotherapy/radiation but the success was short lived. After 9 months she developed a swelling in chest wall involving pectoral muscle (secondary metastasis). The surgeon took a second chance and she was again operated for chest wall metastasis. She was offered second line chemotherapy by her treating physician, but she refused knowing it would not giver her long term benefits. She came to know of us and discussed the treatment plan. We advised her and started her treatment with low-dose gemcitabine chemotherapy along with DENVAX therapy. She received three doses of gemcitabine and three doses of DENVAX in the initial two months period and later kept on DENVAX-monthly therapy. She was constantly monitored by serum marker tests and ultrasound exams. Gradually, the DENVAX therapy was given at increasing intervals. In August 2009, she was subjected to PET CT examination and found to be completely free of disease with no active lesions found.

She has been kept on DENVAX therapy at 3-monthly interval and continues to be cancer-free till date, in 2011.

We attribute this success story to the stage of 'minimal tumor load' at which she received the DENVAX therapy.

A 53 year old female having glioma multiforme (WHO grade IV) adjacent to internal capsule was operated in January 2011. She received radiation and temozolamide chemotherapy. In March 2011, she started losing control, became bed-ridden and showed radiological disease progression (relapse). She was put on steroids with no relief.

Subsequently, she was put on DENVAX cell therapy. After the fourth dose she started to sit, ate by herself and became social. Her treatment is continuing and the steroids have been discontinued.

A 74 year old male presented to us with complaints of inoperable prostate cancer with metastasis to pelvic bones. He had pain in limbs with difficulty to move; was bed ridden for most of the time. Initially he responded with hormone therapy but gradually it turned hormone resistant. He had to take three to four doses of pain killers for day to day management. We started with DENVAX therapy in the year 2007. Within three doses of the therapy he became pain-free requiring no further pain killer medication. Gradually he resumed his day to day activities including riding the motorcyle and going back to his shop. His PSA level fell to 4-5 units and has remained stable since then. He is continuing the treatment and receives doses of DENVAX every three months.

IN 2011, he continues to receive dendritic cell therapy. He is still active, mobile, and disease-free.

A 46 year old male diagnosed with sarcoma of the tibia (left leg bone) with lung secondary presented in November 2009 for dendritic cell therapy. He was operated earlier, and had received chemotherapy and radiation therapy. His disease was progressing with all the above methods.

He was advised and put on DENVAX. He completed his six doses in April 2010. He regained his health and was back to his normal life. He started to work again. Their was a progression free interval of one year. His disease resurfaced in April 2011 with complaints of cough and a Chest CT showing disease progression. He has again been advised dendritic cell therapy along with chemotherapy. He has shown response by showing no adverse effects of chemotherapy as well as symptoms subsiding.