“Wuhan Union Hospital has cured 300 patients with refractory / relapsed hematologic neoplasms with CAR-T therapy, with an overall response rate of nearly 90%.” Recently, the 300th patient with refractory / relapsed hematologic neoplasms was successfully treated with CAR-T therapy in Wuhan Union Hospital. Professor Hu Yu, the president of Wuhan Union Hospital and leader of the CAR-T team, pointed out that it showed the quality and quantity of refractory / relapsed hematologic neoplasms treatment in Wuhan had already kept pace with the world.

Mr. Wu (pseudonym), 68 years old, was the 300th patient with refractory / relapsed hematologic neoplasms to successfully accept CAR-T therapy at Wuhan Union Hospital. Nine years ago, he quit all his jobs to embark on a cycling adventure that took him all over the country. In March 2017, he suddenly suffered a persistent low-grade fever and was diagnosed with the aggressive lymphoma, the prevalence of which is one in tens of thousands. Professor Zhou Ping said this meant his life expectancy was 5 years, at most.

“I even took the top-class chemotherapeutic drugs, which cost more than 50,000 yuan for one dose. It was painful, but had no effect.” From December 2018 to September 2021, Mr. Wu had been suffering from drug resistance during chemotherapy, and even had behavior and consciousness disorders. He gradually presented with distended abdomen and worse edema of lower extremity. All these saw the once strong man waste away. When he heard that professor Hu Yu and professor Mei Heng's expert group had successfully implemented CAR-T cell immunotherapy for several cases of hematological malignancy in recent years, Mr. Wu decided to give it a try. Under the guidance of Professor Hu, Professor Mei and his team analyzed and screened out the most suitable CAR-T cell therapy for Mr. Wu.

On November 5th this year, the CAR-T cell reinfusion for Mr. Wu was finished. Under careful and scientific management of the team, Mr. Wu’s left neck lymph node, which was the size of quail eggs before, gradually became invisible. With bilateral hearing restored and the daily flow of ascites reduced, his condition improved steadily.

“CAR-T therapy is like attaching T cells with a chimeric antigen receptor called CAR.” Hu Yu used a metaphor to illustrate CAR-T therapy. “This brings T cells ‘wings’ and ‘GPS’ so that they can recognize disguised tumor cells like ‘special troops’ killing tumors.

“One injection to kill cancer cells.” Is CAR-T such a panacea? Hu Yu explained that cancer cells in patients’ bodies will theoretically be eliminated within a certain cycle, after they accept CAR-T cell reinfusion. However, CAR-T cell therapy is currently more effective against hematologic tumors, including lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma, while effective uses for solid tumors are still under study.

There are strict indications for CAR-T therapy while the clinical record data of new drugs are limited. It is a great challenge for the medical team to formulate targeted programs, determine the optimal therapeutic window, help patients overcome severe "inflammatory reactions," and guarantee follow-up management of prognosis for every patient, in a critical situation, for whom conventional therapy has failed.

Written by: Li Ruiyao

Edited by: Li Peishan, Scott, Peng Yumeng