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NEW YORK(CBSNewYork) It has been called the cancer breakthrough of the year by a major scientific journal.

Therapy that eradicates cancer using a patients own cells has already saved a number of terminal leukemia patients, CBS 2s Dr. Max Gomez reported.

It has been the Holy Grail of cancer therapy and it harnesses the patients own immune system to attack cancer.

Now, a major new study has shown how to do that when treating leukemia. It involves using gene therapy to convert a patients white blood cells into killers.

Ive had several doctors tell me there is nothing else that can be done, leukemia patient Paolo Cavalli said, It is difficult with a new family to think about those things.

After six years of chemotherapy, stem cell transplants, and multiple relapses Cavalli was out of options for his leukemia.

I dont think I had many days left, he said.

Excerpt from:

Dr. Max Gomez: Gene Therapy Could Be Lifesaver For Cancer Patients