Kathmandu, Oct. 12 -- Nepal has started treating cancer patients with locally manufactured genetically engineered cells for the first time. This marks a breakthrough in the country's cancer treatment capabilities, doctors involved in the treatment say.

A 20-year-old woman with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a type of blood cancer, received CAR T-cell therapy at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) about two weeks ago, according to Dr Anjan Shrestha, the study's clinical lead.

"Her condition is stable, and doctors attending to her are monitoring her response to the treatment," said Shrestha, who is also a haemato-oncologist. "We will monitor her health in the coming days and inform the public about the results of the tr...