Hospitals could begin administering the cancer treatment to children within a matter of weeks

Health reporter(wp/es):

The head of the NHS England has hailed a new cancer treatment they will offer to children "game-changing."

The new ground-breaking treatment, called CAR-T, helps patients battling aggressive leukaemia where other drugs may have failed.

NHS England head Simon Stevens said an affordable price had been agreed with Novartis, the treatment's manufacturer and the NHS.

CAR-T currently has a list price of £282,000 per patient.

Hospitals could begin administering the drug to children within a matter of weeks.

But what exactly is CAR-T and how will the NHS be funding it? Here's everything you need to know:

How does CAR-T work?

CAR-T works by taking the patient's own white blood cells, re-engineering them in a lab to create ones that are able to fight cancer cells.

These new cells are then injected into the body, where they multiply.

As well as being used to treat leukaemia, there are also trials looking at CAR-T for myeloma and neuroblastoma, a rare cancer that affects particular nerve cells.

Can CAR-T cure leukaemia?

Leukaemia is an aggressive form of blood cancer caused by a rise in the number of white blood cells in your body.

CAR-T has been known to cure some patients, but it's a relatively new drug so there's no guarantee.

Will CAR-T cause side effects?

Again, because it's a new treatment, the side effects haven't been well documented.

However, according to Cancer Research UK, two possible known side effects include: cytokine release syndrome (fever, dizziness, difficulty breathing) and having no B cells or fewer B cells after treatment with CAR-T cells that target CD19.

How will the NHS fund the treatment?

The NHS has struck a deal with Novartis that means a CAR-T treatment called Kymriah for patients up to 25 years old who have advanced B-cell lymphoblastic leukaemia and has not been helped by other drugs.

This doesn't mean everyone under these circumstances will receive treatment, though.

Only about 15 of the estimated 400 children that are diagnosed with leukaemia every year in the UK could be suitable for the CAR-T treatment.