For six years after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, Mr. T has been tormented by the illness. Despite undergoing chemotherapy regimens and transplants, as well as enduring the side effects of long-term maintenance therapy, he still couldn't escape the nightmare of tumor recurrence and progression. In the summer of 2024, Mr. T traveled thousands of kilometers from New Zealand to Shanghai, China, in search of hope for a cure. He successfully received BCMA CAR-T treatment in China and was discharged from the hospital two weeks later, returning to New Zealand.
(Note: To protect the patient's privacy, a pseudonym is used in the text, and the condition and treatment process are slightly abridged)
Ignored abnormal indicators laid the groundwork for the development of multiple myeloma.
Mr. T, who is 72 years old, was born in the United Kingdom. Due to his keen interest in mathematics from a young age, he fulfilled his dream of becoming an actuary. Around the age of 35, he settled in New Zealand with his wife, where he had an ideal job and a happy family. As an avid cyclist, he and his wife have ridden 30,000 kilometers, traveling through 40 different countries.
What Mr. T never expected was that in 2015, there was an abnormality in his prostate. After detailed examination, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Fortunately, it was discovered at the earliest stage and Mr. T recovered after treatment. Two months later, he and his wife started cycling from Shanghai to Singapore. During this period, the doctor said that one of his test results was abnormal: the immunoglobulin gene was on the high side. It might develop into multiple myeloma or might not. Mr. T ignored the early warning signals sent by early-stage multiple myeloma. From 2015 to 2020, smoldering multiple myeloma was progressing silently.
Recurrence and progression become an inescapable nightmare for patients with multiple myeloma.
In early 2021, Mr. T was definitively diagnosed with high-risk double-hit multiple myeloma (HR-MM), characterized by adverse prognostic factors such as t(4;14) translocation, 1q amplification, and TP53 deletion. To promptly control the disease progression, Mr. T timely underwent first-line induction therapy before developing any severe symptoms. After four cycles of the CBD regimen, he achieved a good response.
In order to further pursue a long-term remission, Mr. T underwent autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in the summer of 2021 and achieved another good response. Following the transplantation, he maintained his condition with lenalidomide. However, the severe side effects greatly reduced Mr. T's quality of life, which was a tremendous torment for him, as he had a passion for mathematical creation and cycling.
In early 2024, the re-examination results showed a progressive increase in IgG accompanied by aggravated anemia, which meant that his disease recurred and progressed.
In search of effective, safe, and economical CAR-T therapy, the destination is—China!
To completely get rid of the entanglement of myeloma, Mr. T told his hematologist, "I want to do CAR-T", but the doctor regretfully told him that there was still no CAR-T therapy in New Zealand and he had no experience. "In fact, I don't have many choices," Mr. T said. "There aren't many countries that originally carried out CAR-T. Currently, there is no cell therapy in New Zealand. In other countries, the CAR-T treatment is not mature and there are different restrictions. I don't want to wait any longer." Fortunately, a fellow myeloma patient recommended a highly authoritative Chinese expert to Mr. T—Professor Zhou Lili from Shanghai Yiaoying Hospital.
During the interview, Mr. T shared the reasons for his choice of China: Firstly, China had traditionally been perceived as a place where things were cheaply made but not of good quality. However, during a cycling trip a few years ago, he witnessed with his own eyes that Chinese cities were as advanced as Western cities. After conducting extensive research, he further learned that Chinese hospitals had made significant progress in the field of CAR-T therapy, gradually catching up with Europe and the United States, and even taking the lead globally.
Secondly, as an actuary, Mr. T conducted a comprehensive analysis of the costs of CAR-T treatment and hospitalization in various countries, discovering that hospitalization fees in the United States were as much as five times those in China, and approximately double those in Australia. The three factors of higher efficacy, lower price, and good safety were sufficient for him to conclude that China was the optimal choice for receiving CAR-T treatment. In addition, through his fellow patients, he learned that Dr. Zhou Lili, the director of the Department of Hematology at SinoUnited Health Clinic, has rich successful experience in the field of CAR-T cell therapy. After the remote video consultation, Director Zhou's rich international medical communication and CAR-T clinical experience, combined with the perfect service facilities and professional multidisciplinary medical team, made him full of confidence in coming to China for treatment. His attending hematologist in New Zealand also participated in the discussion and was very supportive. In July 2024, Mr. T crossed thousands of miles to arrive in Shanghai, China, in pursuit of the hope of cure.
Considering that Mr. T's severely impaired cardiac function was after years of maintenance treatment and he could not tolerate the chemotherapy regimen. At the same time, Mr. T strongly demanded a higher quality of life. The expert team unanimously believed that the world's first BCMA CAR-T - idecabtagene vicleucel was the best treatment plan.
Professor Zhou detailed in an interview: Compared with traditional treatments, CAR-T has unique advantages. First of all, it is a highly personalized treatment that adjusts the patient's own immune system through genetic engineering to provide a more precise response for cancer treatment. Secondly, this fully humanized BCMA CAR-T is the best choice for patients with high-risk relapsed multiple myeloma. It not only has the best efficacy, with the overall response rate close to 99% and the complete response rate as high as 82.4%. Moreover, it has a long-lasting efficacy of up to 12 months, and the PFS is above 85%.
In addition, for Mr. T, the safety of idecabtagene vicleucel is good, and there will be no serious side effects, such as grade 3 CRS. Such side effects are very rare, with an incidence rate of less than 5%. More importantly, the fully humanized CAR-T not only maintains the patient's quality of life but also provides a more durable therapeutic effect. A one-time infusion treatment achieves rapid and effective results. This reduces the pain and burden of the patient during the treatment process and enables Mr. T to enjoy a high-quality life.
Successfully received BCMA CAR-T treatment and was discharged smoothly after 2 weeks!
After undergoing thorough evaluations and meeting all the necessary criteria, Mr. T successfully underwent apheresis, which involved the collection of his T-cells. These cells were then transported back to the manufacturing facility within 24 hours to be customized into precise tumor-targeting weapons specifically for Mr. T. In August, Mr. T was admitted to the hospital to undergo lymphocyte-depleting chemotherapy in preparation for the CAR-T therapy.
On September 2nd, the CAR-T cells that carried Mr. T's hope for cure were delivered to him by the pharmacy team using a professional cold chain logistics service. After undergoing rigorous inspections, unpacking, and thawing, a small bag of milky white liquid was infused back into Mr. T's body. The doctor explained that this liquid contained billions of "specialized" T-cells capable of precisely targeting and eliminating myeloma cells. Once inside the body, these T-cells would activate a mode of intense elimination, thoroughly wiping out the cancer cells. Under the close supervision of medical staff, Mr. T successfully completed the infusion of CAR-T cells.
In the subsequent days, a multidisciplinary team closely monitored Mr. T for any adverse reactions. One week after the infusion, Mr. T experienced high fever due to CRS. Through close monitoring of his vital signs and aggressive management such as fever reduction and anti-inflammatory treatment, his temperature quickly returned to normal. "The expansion of CAR-T cells was very ideal, and all indicators have recovered well," said Director Zhou Lili. "Yao Ying also conducted a comprehensive examination for Mr. T. Dr. Shi Haoying, the founder of Yao Ying and also the director of cardiology, personally consulted and quickly identified the cause of his long-standing arrhythmia. With improvements to his heart condition, a comprehensive follow-up plan was provided for his return to China." On September 16th, the 14th day after the CAR-T infusion, Mr. T was discharged and returned to his country smoothly.
Mr. T said, "My favorite quote from John Lennon, which appears at the end of the movie 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,' is 'Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.'"
Professor Zhou Lili excitedly said in an interview: The patient's outcome is inspiring and has met our expectations. Now, he sends a "good news report" every week, reporting the joy of returning to normal life after returning to his residence in New Zealand. What makes him especially happy is that the tumor indicators returned to normal within one month. We have high expectations for the patient's long-term prognosis.
" In the patient group in New Zealand, many people asked me about my experience of receiving CAR-T treatment in China. I am very willing to share the wonderful experience at SinoUnited Health Clinic and also hope that more people will come to China like me to receive the leading CAR-T cell treatment!"
Shanghai SinoUnited Health is a comprehensive hospital in line with international standards and has built a mature CAR-T cell treatment platform, equipped with a complete multidisciplinary clinical diagnosis and treatment team for hematology. It can carry out individualized comprehensive anti-tumor treatments including CAR-T technology for various hematological tumor patients such as multiple myeloma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Many international patients have come for consultation and successfully completed the treatment.
Providing Healing Solutions for Hematological Cancer Patients - China's CAR-T Therapy Shines Globally
Since the end of the 20th century, CAR-T therapy has emerged on the international stage. By modifying T cells through genetic engineering technology, it enables them to precisely identify and eliminate cancer cells, becoming a cure-oriented choice for patients with hematological tumors.
China is in a leading position worldwide in the development and promotion of CAR-T treatment, making it a preferred destination for overseas patients with severe conditions such as hematological cancers and autoimmune diseases.
With convenient transportation and streamlined visa policies for traveling to China, each patient is equipped with a professional medical team to provide full assistance throughout the process. Hospitalization can be arranged within 48 hours after arrival, allowing global cancer patients to have access to better treatment options.
Additionally, let me share a little secret with you: the most significant factor is that even if it's fully self-paid, the cost in China is relatively low. For myeloma patients, the total cost, including medication fees and hospital diagnosis and treatment expenses in China, does not exceed USD 200,000. In contrast, similar treatments in the United States would cost patients at least close to USD 700,000.
An increasing number of international patients are coming to China to receive CAR-T cell therapy, acknowledging the high-level nursing care and innovation provided by China.
China's CAR-T benefits the world! China has become the best treatment destination for patients with severe diseases worldwide!
