Car-t (carty)  in China. Complications after Car-t therapy.  How not to fall for fraudulent schemes in 2024-2025

Car-t therapy has become one of the life-saving therapies for some patients with leukemia, myeloma, and lymphoma. This often applies to children and teenagers.

This therapy is still limited, but it is carried out in Russia. China is considered the leader in this field. The cost-to-experience ratio in the field of cell therapy attracts hundreds of patients from all over the world to this country. Russian-speaking patients are no exception here.

But, unfortunately, we began to notice many "gray schemes" in this area, and since this directly concerns the lives and health of patients with complex diseases, the history of raising money, and tragedies in the lives of families who are going through difficult situations for the first time, we consider it our duty to highlight some points.

We really hope that this information will save lives and that the families clinging to Nadezhda's strings will take more conscious and confident steps in finding the right treatment choice in China.

CAR T technology (chimeric antigen receptor T cells) is a cellular technology designed for the immunological treatment of certain oncological diseases.

CAR-T therapy is performed mainly in hospitals in major Chinese cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai.

This therapy requires appropriate preparation of the patient's body, but the most important thing is the consequences and complications that may arise.

Here we are dealing with complications accompanying CAR-T therapy, of the widest spectrum — from a slight increase in temperature to an extremely serious condition. Some of these complications require treatment in the intensive care unit. Here are some of them:

 Cytokine release syndrome is a systemic inflammatory reaction. The most common complication. It develops during the first days after the drug is administered.

• — Neurological toxicity is the most serious and dangerous complication. Fortunately, it is rare.
• — Damage to non-pathogenic (healthy) tissues. Many healthy cells of the body, which carry the same antigens that the CAR-T product was designed against, become unwitting targets.
• — Allergic reaction to a foreign CAR-T cell antigen.
• — Acute kidney injury.
• — Metabolic disorders.
• — Infectious complications.

These complications can occur almost immediately after the infusion, and develop a little later (from 3 days to several months). Both doctors and patients should be prepared for these complications.

What are the "gray schemes" of CAR-T therapy in China in 2024-2025 and how to avoid them?

The most important thing that should concern the patient's family when planning a trip to CAR-T therapy in China is that the therapy will take place in a hospital that does not have an intensive care unit, sterile rooms, a scientific base, extensive experience in admitting patients to CAR-T therapy, and a special laboratory.

In this regard, you should definitely be alarmed by the situation when there is a certain doctor who is not a full-time employee of the clinic, but simply performs the CAR-T procedure on the basis of some hospital. It is easy to verify this by asking for a link to the hospital's website, where the doctor will be listed as one of the doctors, with all his scientific papers and described experience.

The second point, and the most important one, is if the receiving party recommends leaving China as soon as possible to return to their homeland after CAR-T therapy.

In this way, they eliminate all the risks of complications that may arise with therapy.

You may face an unmanageable situation and problems with medical care one-on-one, because our countries do not have much experience dealing with complications after CAR-T therapy.

Therefore, if you hear such a message from the receiving party, be very vigilant and keep in mind that you do not know what you may encounter after the treatment.

The third point is that clinics that operate in China with CAR-T therapy can and should accept payment for their medical services at the hospital's cash desk, and you should not be advised to send money to accounts outside of China. An exception is possible only in cases of payment for the services of an accompanying organization, and not for the entire treatment process.

You should also be alarmed by the overestimated or, conversely, underestimated cost of treatment.

The average cost of CAR-T treatment with a hospital stay of about 4 weeks and preparation for it should be from 40 to 60 thousand US dollars.

Of course, the cost may increase if complications are required, this is all agreed upon when sending medical documents to doctors for review and pre-trip consultations.

And unfortunately, not everyone can be shown this therapy because of the condition at the time of treatment.   

How to avoid such moments?

We understand that the parents and relatives of patients are in a stressful situation, the life of a loved one is at stake, and an urgent but announced decision needs to be made that lacks previous experience.

First of all, we recommend contacting several organizations specializing in the treatment of patients in severe cases, you may need sanitation, registration of all necessary papers before departure (passport, visa, assistance in arranging payments, escort from the first day), you can also contact the hospital directly, but you may encounter the fact that they will promptly help you they won't answer, because in hospitals (there are very few of them) there are no international departments with Russian-speaking coordinators, communication is at best in English, through a Google translator. If you are going to communicate with hospitals, be prepared that the entire organizational part of the trip will also fall on your shoulders.

And you are still left alone with all the difficult situations that may arise at the entire stage of treatment, from choosing to returning home and accompanying after the trip.

You may now think that we are trying to sell our services in order to make money on the grief of a particular family, but I can assure you that we are writing this text in order to protect you and highlight where straws can and should be laid so that, if necessary, you have allies who understand the issue, who have been there more than once. in hospitals in China that provide CAR-t therapy and know what they're talking about.  

the text was written by the co-founder of the service Hospitals-travel.ru , By Vera Vakhonina,

who is ready to answer all questions and objections, if any.

I wish you and all your family members good health!