The first leukaemia patient receives a breakthrough treatment since it was made available on the NHS and commented that it was "fantastic" and "very sci-fi."
Oscar Murphy, who has an aggressive form of the blood cancer, was given the "living drug" called CAR-T therapy, at Manchester Royal Infirmary.
BBC News reported the historic moment when Oscar received the first of two infusions of his own immune cells, which had been genetically modified to recognise and target his cancer.
NHS England has agreed to fund the immunotherapy at several centres across the country and about 50 NHS patients a year are likely to benefit from it.
Oscar was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-cell ALL) in March 2025.
He underwent chemotherapy and a donor stem cell transplant in July but in November was told that his cancer had returned.
"The leukaemia I've got is so fast-acting," the 28-year-od said, adding, "It needs an even quicker response to stop it. And we've now got an answer for that."
In a clinical trial, 77% of patients went into remission after treatment, with half showing no signs of cancer after three and a half years.
On average, the treatment gave patients 15.6 additional months of life.
Oscar's haematologist, Dr Eleni Tholouli, said the CAR-T therapy was safer than existing treatments, with fewer side-effects and much more effective.
"Usually, this type of leukaemia is very aggressive and adult patients don't live beyond six to eight months. With this therapy, we are able to offer them years and potentially a cure. It's very significant and is revolutionising the way we tackle this cancer."
CAR-T therapy has been available on the NHS for several years for certain types of leukaemia and lymphoma but has only now been extended to adults with B-cell ALL.
Oscar's personalised treatment, or living drug, was cryopreserved and sent to Manchester Royal Infirmary.
The tiny bag containing Oscar's personalised treatment held 100 million CAR T-cells in just three teaspoons of liquid, and it took only a few minutes to infuse into his bloodstream.
Oscar expressed his surprise on how such a small dose could be so powerful, saying, "It's very sci-fi, but if it means it gets rid of the cancer permanently and my own cells can do it it's just fantastic."
As this is a "living drug", the cancer-killing T-cells stay in the body for a long time and will continue to grow and work inside the patient after the final infusion.