22 Days from Desperation to Rebirth! Chinese CAR-T Therapy Creates Survival Miracle for Thai Multiple Myeloma Patient

22 Days from Desperation to Rebirth! Chinese CAR-T Therapy Creates Survival Miracle for Thai Multiple Myeloma Patient

Patient story

Subtitle: Fighting for Love! A story of miraculous rebirth after all treatment options failed for a late-stage multiple myeloma patient in Thailand, who underwent CAR-T therapy in China.

Preface: When all treatment options had been exhausted, cancer progressed rapidly, and doctors regretfully said that Ms. M had no response to any medication. This situation could only lead to palliative care, meaning Ms. M had no chance to fight this disease anymore; her life was now on borrowed time. Fortunately, Ms. M’s family found new hope in China – CAR-T therapy. With the companionship of her family, Ms. M came to China and underwent the world’s first fully human BCMA CAR-T therapy. In just 22 days after treatment, all tumors miraculously disappeared, achieving complete remission (CR), and Ms. M was given a new lease on life!

In June 2021, the life of 58-year-old Ms. M experienced persistent back pain for over months. After detailed examinations at the hospital,resulting in a diagnosis of multiple myeloma. To quickly control the condition, Ms. M received treatments including PCD, DVD, bortezomib and lenalidomide, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

In June 2023, the disease relapsed and Ms. M did not respond to any of these treatments. Local doctors informed Ms. M’s family that apart from palliative care, they were powerless, indicating that Ms. M’s life was now on borrowed time! Just as Ms. M was in dire straits, on June 30, 2023, the world’s first fully human BCMA CAR-T therapy – Equecabtagene Autoleucel, was shockingly launched in China, becoming a lifesaving straw for her. Ms. M and her family decided to seek treatment in China.

In September 2023, Professor Li Ping’s team at Shanghai Tongji Hospital developed a personalized Equecabtagene Autoleucel(BCMA CAR-T) therapy plan for Ms. M.

On September 8, 2023, Ms. M finally officially entered the CAR-T treatment process. After all examination items met the requirements, single-cell collection was performed first.

Bridge therapy began on September 11, 2023;

Local radiotherapy to relieve bone pain started on September 24, 2023;

Fludarabine plus cyclophosphamide chemotherapy was administered from October 9-12, 2023;

Finally, on October 14, a small bag of milky-white liquid was infused into Ms. M’s body. The doctor said that inside were billions of “special” T cells that could precisely kill multiple myeloma cells. Once inside the body, they would initiate a mode of frenzied sweeping, wiping out cancer cells completely.

What shocked everyone was that the examination results 22 days after CAR-T treatment showed that Ms. M had achieved hematologic CR, meaning that no cancer cells were detected in her blood. Her pain and anemia were also reversed. It was simply a miracle!

Every day now is precious to Ms. M. She can go shopping, chat with her family, enjoy delicious food with her family, and travel around the world with them, returning to the happy times before she fell ill. The only difference is that Ms. M and her family visit a fixed destination every month now – Shanghai, China. They have become accustomed to hearing the sacred announcement from the doctors here: no cancer in her body, continuing remission.

This is a microcosm of countless cancer patients overcoming the disease. The emergence of CAR-T cell therapy has brought new hope to cancer patients. I believe that in the future, more patients will be able to regain a new life like Ms. M.