Shanghai SinoUnited Hospital has established a mature CAR-T cell therapy platform supported by a complete multidisciplinary haematology team. As one of Shanghai's high-quality medical institutions, SinoUnited recently achieved a major breakthrough in novel oncology treatment: several international patients have now received CAR-T cell therapy at the hospital and been discharged, with follow-up showing good recovery across all indicators. The first patient, from the United Kingdom, marked — according to SinoUnited — the first use of a China-developed CAR-T therapy in a second-line multiple-myeloma setting. Another patient, from New Zealand, presented with primary resistance, high-risk double-hit, relapsed/refractory high-risk lymphoma that had failed three prior lines of chemotherapy; he achieved remission at SinoUnited, a case the team describes as among the most demanding in CAR-T practice.
"At present, Shanghai SinoUnited Hospital has built a mature CAR-T cell therapy platform with a complete multidisciplinary clinical haematology team," said Dr. Lili Zhou, Director of Haematology. "We can deliver individualised, comprehensive anti-tumour treatment — including CAR-T — for patients with multiple myeloma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and other haematological malignancies." Since CAR-T began at the hospital, many international patients have come for consultation and completed treatment successfully. China's CAR-T cell therapy is widely recognised as globally leading, and high-quality providers such as SinoUnited — combining an international care philosophy with advanced clinical technology — are building an international CAR-T brand and drawing growing attention from patients abroad.
01 · Crossing Ten Thousand Kilometres — Why China?
At noon on 11 October, inside the CAR-T ward of Shanghai SinoUnited Hospital, a small celebration was underway. Mr. D, a patient from New Zealand, happily accepted a cake prepared by the SinoUnited team, decorated with a tiny "1" — marking the start of a brand-new life. A few weeks earlier, Mr. T, a 72-year-old patient with multiple myeloma from the United Kingdom, had also been discharged two weeks after his CAR-T infusion.
Both international patients had long struggled with relapsed disease. After comparing options across countries, each travelled more than ten thousand kilometres to China in search of "hope of life." Why China, and why SinoUnited?
CAR-T — chimeric antigen receptor T-cell immunotherapy — is one of the more advanced approaches in oncology today. It is a personalised cell therapy: a patient's own T cells are collected and genetically modified outside the body to strengthen their ability to recognise and attack tumour cells. Six commercialised CAR-T products are now approved in China, covering the CD19 and BCMA targets, with indications spanning large B-cell lymphoma, multiple myeloma, mantle cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma and other blood cancers. Globally, China's CAR-T research and clinical practice rank among the leaders — which is increasingly making the country a focus for overseas CAR-T seekers.
Mr. T, the first UK patient, found China while researching CAR-T programmes in different countries. Six years earlier he had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma; three years ago the disease progressed, and after initial treatment it relapsed, leaving him too frail to tolerate further chemotherapy. Through a New Zealand patient group he learned of Dr. Lili Zhou's track record in CAR-T at Shanghai SinoUnited Hospital. After a video consultation — in which Dr. Zhou's international communication experience, deep CAR-T expertise and the hospital's facilities and multidisciplinary team gave him confidence — his New Zealand haematologist also joined the discussion and voiced strong support. He made up his mind to travel to Shanghai.
"In fact, I didn't have many options. Very few countries even offer CAR-T, and New Zealand currently has no cell therapy. In other countries CAR-T is not yet mature and comes with various restrictions — I didn't want to keep waiting." — Mr. T, multiple myeloma patient from the United Kingdom
Mr. T also compared costs across countries and found that inpatient fees in the United States could be as much as five times those in China. Importantly, the CAR-T drug indicated for his multiple myeloma was itself developed in China. In July 2024 he arrived in Shanghai and was admitted to Shanghai SinoUnited Hospital on the Bund. A multidisciplinary team — haematology together with cardiology, respiratory, gastroenterology, infectious disease and the inpatient team — carried out a comprehensive assessment and quickly formulated an individualised treatment and multidisciplinary management plan, including contingency protocols for adverse events.
On 20 July Mr. T completed T-cell collection and returned home. He came back to SinoUnited in August for lymphodepleting chemotherapy and received his CAR-T infusion on 2 September. After infusion he stayed in a dedicated laminar-flow sterile ward while the multidisciplinary team closely monitored for side effects. About a week later he developed a high fever from cytokine release syndrome (CRS); with close vital-sign monitoring and prompt anti-inflammatory management his temperature soon returned to normal.
"CAR-T cell expansion was ideal, and all indicators recovered very well," Dr. Zhou noted. SinoUnited also arranged a full check-up, and Dr. Kathy Shi — the hospital's founder and Director of Cardiology — personally consulted, identifying the cause of an arrhythmia that had troubled him for years, improving his cardiac condition and drawing up a comprehensive follow-up plan for his return home. On 16 September, fourteen days after infusion, Mr. T was discharged and flew home. He now sends a "good-news" message every week, delighted that his tumour markers normalised within a month. "In my New Zealand patient group, many ask about my CAR-T experience in China. I'm glad to share my wonderful experience at SinoUnited, and I hope more people will come to China for leading CAR-T therapy like I did."
02 · A High-Risk Refractory Lymphoma — A Sino-Foreign Multidisciplinary Plan
Mr. D's case was even more challenging. A year earlier, just as he was looking forward to retirement, abdominal pain and major bleeding sent him to the emergency room. A biopsy diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), with a mass close to 20 cm compressing his organs — a perilous stage IV at discovery. Worse still, three first-line chemotherapy cycles not only failed to shrink the mass but allowed rapid progression that invaded the small intestine. Three different chemotherapy regimens brought no remission, signalling primary resistance and prompting his doctors to recommend CAR-T.
"My doctor never mentioned China to me. But in my New Zealand patient group, people kept talking about Shanghai. I quickly realised that a great deal of CAR-T research and rich clinical experience had accumulated there — in China I would have more choices." — Mr. D, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patient from New Zealand
Prudently, Mr. D consulted both Shanghai SinoUnited Hospital and a hospital in Australia online. After video consultations with both, he chose SinoUnited without hesitation. "Dr. Zhou, who consulted with me, was very professional, confident about my treatment, smooth to communicate with and full of warmth. With her, I felt cared for — not like a simple number."
Because Mr. D's disease was advancing quickly, Dr. Zhou designed an individualised bridging regimen combining immunotherapy, targeted therapy and radiotherapy to reduce his tumour burden before the CAR-T infusion and lower the risk of post-infusion reactions and relapse. Cardiology helped manage lipids and assess cardiac function; gastroenterology arranged gastrointestinal checks to reduce bleeding risk; neurology assessed and helped prevent central ICANS neurotoxicity. The multidisciplinary team prepared him thoroughly for CAR-T.
Mr. D also introduced Dr. Zhou to his New Zealand treating physician; the Chinese and New Zealand teams then held repeated close discussions and seamlessly coordinated his bridging therapy. In July 2024 Mr. D first came to SinoUnited, completed peripheral T-cell collection, and after three bridging courses his tumour burden was markedly reduced. In September he returned; after multidisciplinary assessment he received his CAR-T infusion on 19 September. He developed a high fever on the first day — which unnerved him — but the earlier bridging had eased the tumour load, and the SinoUnited multidisciplinary team managed the reaction promptly. From day 7 his temperature normalised, and by day 14 his symptoms had disappeared. After three weeks of good recovery and ideal cell expansion, he was discharged. The two teams continued coordinating his follow-up with his New Zealand physician. In total, Mr. D spent 43 nights at the hospital.
03 · International Medicine, China Innovation — Building a Global CAR-T Brand
The birth of CAR-T has given countless patients once given "a death sentence" a renewed hope of life. As a flagship of Shanghai's high-quality medical care, SinoUnited has closely followed the frontiers of medicine and worked to maximise patient benefit. Led by Dr. Lili Zhou, the hospital opened a dedicated CAR-T ward and formed a CAR-T centre multidisciplinary team to build an international CAR-T medical platform.
"As an internationally leading new technology, CAR-T requires the close cooperation of a hospital-wide multidisciplinary team," Dr. Zhou explained. Every sub-specialty at SinoUnited is strong, enabling multidisciplinary consultation tailored to each patient's disease, physical condition and even psychological state, with individualised treatment plans — detailed assessment before admission, strict close monitoring after infusion, and continuous multidisciplinary cooperation throughout, so that CAR-T proceeds safely and patients can weather the side-effect period and achieve long-term disease control.
For international patients far from home, SinoUnited pays equal attention to their experience. A dedicated CAR-T rapid-response team — led by Medical Dean Dr. Hua Shen and involving haematology together with cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology, the inpatient department, ICU, nursing, infection control, laboratory, imaging, pharmacy, the hospital concierge, customer service and insurance — works alongside public-hospital haematology experts from the Ruijin Haematology Medical Alliance and the Tongji Hospital CAR-T Alliance, drawing up contingency plans so that every issue is coordinated and resolved at the first moment.
Mr. D felt this deeply. Having spent a full 43 nights at the hospital, he said, "SinoUnited gave me nothing short of world-class treatment. The medical, nursing and support teams were exceptional — the kitchen even made me new lunch flavours!" His wife, who stayed at a nearby hotel for a while, once felt unwell at night and was treated promptly in the emergency room. "Both the doctors and the nurses are extremely efficient."
At discharge, Mr. D, eyes moist, told the clinical team: "Thank you for everything you've done for me — you've given me another chance at life. I hope the next time I come to Shanghai, it will be for a happy trip. I must see you all again then."
Dr. Kathy Shi, Founder and CEO and Director of Cardiology, said that — including CAR-T — SinoUnited has consistently invested in new clinical concepts and technologies, upheld a "patient-centred" service philosophy and an international medical model, and helped raise the standard and experience of related treatments to serve patients from many countries.