Kauvery Hospital Performs Pioneering Radiation-Assisted Bone Marrow Transplant for 29-Year-Old Woman with Relapsed Blood Cancer

Chennai, 7th   July 25: In a remarkable stride for cancer treatment, Kauvery Cancer Institute- Kauvery Hospital, Alwarpet, has successfully performed a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) supported by a highly specialized radiation therapy called Total Marrow and Lymphoid Irradiation (TMLI)—offering new hope to a 29-year-old woman battling relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).

Diagnosed with a relapse after prior treatment, the patient underwent two cycles of immunotherapy and targeted therapy before the oncology team recommended a bone marrow transplant using her sister as a matched donor. To improve her chances of long-term remission while minimizing side effects, the hospital’s oncology team employed TMLI, a cutting-edge radiation technique rarely available in India.

Unlike total body radiation, which treats the entire body, TMLI precisely targets the bone marrow and lymphoid tissues—the core areas where blood cancers like ALL originate—while sparing vital organs such as the heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver. This method greatly reduces complications and enhances treatment tolerance, especially for younger patients.

“TMLI represents the next generation of radiation therapy,” said Dr. A N Vaidhyswaran Director and Senior Consultant – Radiation Oncology. “By combining advanced imaging, VMAT-based planning, and daily image-guided delivery, we were able to sculpt the radiation dose with sub-millimeter accuracy—maximizing impact on the disease while protecting healthy tissues.”

“This was one of the most high risk and rewarding cases we’ve undertaken,” said Dr. Arshad Raja, Consultant – Haemato-Oncology. “Combination of immunotherapy, precision radiation and matched sibling donor transplant was given to her. The transplant was carried out with stem cells from her sister. The patient tolerated the entire process exceptionally well, with minimal complications, and showed early signs of engraftment—a key marker of transplant success.”

Follow-up findings indicated Complete chimerism or full chimerism in the blood sample which means 100% of the cells in the analyzed compartment (e.g., blood, bone marrow, or specific cell types like T cells) are derived from the donor.

“Our mission is to bring the most advanced cancer therapies within reach for patients in India,” said Dr. Aravindan Selvaraj, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Kauvery Group of Hospitals. “This case underscores the power of personalized, precision medicine and our commitment to delivering global standards of care right here in Chennai.”