Singaporean in remission after receiving CAR-T therapy in Shanghai

Lyn She, a 40-year-old Singaporean, was discharged from a Shanghai hospital on Wednesday after receiving CAR-T cell treatment and was deemed to be in remission.

According to Shanghai-based Fosun Kite Biotechnology Co Ltd, the Singaporean is the first expat patient in the country to receive its innovative cancer therapy, which received the green light for use in China in June.

"Getting cancer is a big deal. But thankfully the medical teams at Shanghai Jiahui International Hospital were amazing and we had the utmost faith in their ability. It paid off. The treatment was successful and we're so happy that we're nearing the end of this journey," said Parry Wu, the patient's husband, who is from the United States, during an interview on Tuesday.

"We once considered returning to the US or Singapore for treatment, but we eventually decided that Jiahui Hospital was the best option for us. The team and the facilities here are as good as anywhere in the world, and the overall cost effectiveness of the treatment was too good to be ignored. It was much more affordable for us," added Wu.

She first went to the hospital in July 2022. Doctors said that the tumor had already caused multiple issues and that her health was in a critical state. When she did not respond to chemotherapy and radiation therapy as well as expected, doctors said they could foresee that the disease would recur and progress quickly within 12 months. They then recommended the CAR-T treatment.

CAR-T therapy involves collecting T-cells from a patient's blood before genetically modifying it to attack cancer cells after they are reinfused into the body. CAR-T reinforces T-cells, which act as the "health guardians" in the human body, and allow them to precisely locate tumor cells and eliminate them, according to medical experts.

Lily Zhou, section head of hematology at Jiahui International Cancer Center (JICC), said that She's CAR-T treatment began in July and the reinforced T-cells were reinfused in late August.