A child who got CAR-T cancer therapy is still disease-free 18 years later

That suggests the personalized treatment may work for solid tumors, not just blood cancers

In this illustration, octopus-like cancer cells sprawl on a black background, while a small brown CAR-T cell sits atop one

In CAR-T cell therapy, T cells, like the one illustrated (brown) attacking cancer cells (purple), are programmed to track specific proteins on a cancer cell and kill it.

Thom Leach/Science Photo Library/Getty Images plus

About 18 years ago, a 4-year-old girl with a rare nerve cell cancer received an infusion of immune cells that were genetically engineered to fight the disease.