Aug 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration

said on Friday it has approved Adaptimmune's

first-of-its-kind gene therapy to treat adult patients with a

rare type of cancer that affects soft tissues who have received

prior chemotherapy.

Shares of the company rose about 5% in premarket trading.

The therapy, branded as Tecelra, was approved to treat

synovial sarcoma, which most commonly develops in the

extremities.

This type of cancer impacts about 1,000 people in the United

States each year and most often occurs in adult males in their

30s or younger, according to the FDA.

The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request

seeking information on the therapy's pricing and availability.