{"id":590922,"date":"2026-08-12T11:33:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T11:33:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/590922\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T11:33:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T11:33:03","slug":"donegals-martin-celebrates-groundbreaking-cancer-treatment-milestone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/590922\/","title":{"rendered":"Donegal’s Martin celebrates groundbreaking cancer treatment milestone"},"content":{"rendered":"

A grateful Donegal man has been recognised at a special event in St James Hospital, as it marked a significant milestone in cancer treatment.<\/p>\n

Martin McColgan was joined by his wife, Maeve and best friend Paul as the hospital celebrated over 150 patients having received Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR-T) therapy since the programme began in Ireland.<\/p>\n

Patients, families and healthcare staff gathered to celebrate the impact of this pioneering treatment, while also remembering patients who have since passed away.<\/p>\n

Martin, from Killygordon, underwent CAR-T treatment after six previous treatment attempts had proven unsuccessful.<\/p>\n

He paid a particularly poignant role on the day, closing the celebrations with a song.<\/p>\n

This provided a particularly moving moment for patients, families and staff.<\/p>\n

It was also an emotional moment for Maeve and Paul who have been such a support during his treatment.<\/p>\n

Paul, from Lifford and Martin’s lifelong best friend, drove him back and forth to all his healthcare appointments.<\/p>\n

Martin and Maeve were also photographed at the event with Professor Larry Bacon, Consultant Haematologist and Clinical Lead for CAR-T, and Dr Robert Henderson, Consultant Haematologist.<\/p>\n

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Martin McColgan closed the celebrations with a song.<\/p>\n

St James’s Hospital was the first adult hospital in Ireland to deliver the pioneering treatment in December 2021.<\/p>\n

The event came nearly five years after the first patient in Ireland received CAR-T therapy at the Hospital, transforming access to advanced blood cancer treatment for patients across the country.<\/p>\n

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CAR-T therapy is an innovative form of immunotherapy that involves collecting a patient’s own T-cells, genetically modifying them to recognise and attack cancer cells.<\/p>\n

They are then reinfused back into the patient.<\/p>\n

For many patients with relapsed or treatment-resistant blood cancers, it offers hope when other treatment options have been exhausted.<\/p>\n

Since the first CAR-T treatment was delivered at St James’s Hospital in December 2021, the programme has expanded steadily, offering hope to patients from across Ireland with relapsed and treatment-resistant blood cancers.<\/p>\n

Professor Larry Bacon, Consultant Haematologist and Clinical Lead for CAR-T at St James\u2019s Hospital, said: “Reaching over 150 patients is an important milestone, but what matters most are the individuals and families behind that number.<\/p>\n

“Since the programme began, CAR-T therapy has transformed outcomes for many patients with relapsed and refractory blood cancers who previously had limited treatment options.<\/p>\n

“This achievement reflects the dedication of a multidisciplinary team whose expertise and commitment make this highly specialised treatment possible.”<\/p>\n

Mary Day, Chief Executive Officer, St James\u2019s Hospital, said: “As home to the Trinity St James’s Cancer Institute, Ireland’s first and only OECI-accredited Comprehensive Cancer Centre, we are proud to lead the delivery of pioneering cancer treatments and world-class care.<\/p>\n

“Treating over 150 patients with CAR-T therapy reflects the expertise, dedication and collaboration of our staff and partners, and the life-changing impact of innovation for patients and families across Ireland.”<\/p>\n

Liz Higgins, CAR-T Service Co-Ordinator and Lead Nurse, said: “This celebration is about patients and families.<\/p>\n

“It is a chance to reflect on the hope that CAR-T therapy has brought to so many people, while also remembering those who are no longer with us.<\/p>\n

“Every patient who has come through our programme has left a lasting impact on our team.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A grateful Donegal man has been recognised at a special event in St James Hospital, as it marked…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":590923,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[103,397,396,61,60],"class_list":["post-590922","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590922","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=590922"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590922\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/590923"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=590922"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=590922"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=590922"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}