The Patient Journey, Week by Week
Most patients are in China for 4–6 weeks for CAR-T therapy, start to finish. Here is what each stage actually involves, based on the standard process at the hospitals we coordinate with.
Record review and eligibility opinion
You send pathology reports, imaging, lab results and your full treatment history through our secure intake form. A China-licensed oncology/hematology specialist reviews your case and responds in writing, usually within 3–5 business days: either a likely-candidate opinion with a treatment plan and itemized quotation, or a clear explanation of why you are not currently a candidate and what, if anything, could change that.
Contract, deposit and visa preparation
Once you decide to proceed, we issue a signed treatment agreement and itemized quotation, collect the initial deposit, and prepare the hospital invitation letter you'll need for your China visa application (most patients apply for an S2 visa, for stays under 180 days). We also book flights, accommodation for you and one companion, and airport transfer.
Arrival and confirmatory workup
On arrival, the treating hospital repeats key tests (imaging, blood work, cardiac and pulmonary function, infectious disease screening) to confirm you're fit to proceed and that your disease status matches what was reviewed remotely. An interpreter accompanies every appointment.
Bridging therapy (if needed) and apheresis
If your disease needs to be controlled while cells are manufactured, a short course of bridging chemotherapy is given. Apheresis — collecting your T-cells — takes 3–4 hours and is done on an outpatient or short inpatient basis.
Manufacturing window
Your cells are shipped to a GMP-certified manufacturing facility, genetically engineered and expanded. Turnaround varies by product and manufacturer but is frequently measured in one to three weeks. You are free to rest, sightsee locally if your condition allows, or simply recover from travel during this period — we check in regularly with manufacturing status updates.
Lymphodepletion, infusion and acute monitoring
A short course of lymphodepleting chemotherapy precedes infusion by a few days. The infusion itself takes under an hour. You are then admitted for inpatient monitoring — typically 10–14+ days — for cytokine release syndrome and neurological side effects, the period when these are most likely to occur.
Discharge and response assessment
Once you're medically stable, you're discharged to your accommodation for a further observation period, with a response assessment (typically PET-CT or equivalent for blood cancers, or cross-sectional imaging for solid tumors) scheduled around day 28–30.
Treatment passport and shared-care handover
We prepare a multilingual treatment passport — exact product and batch number, medicines given, complications during your stay, and your monitoring schedule — and send it to your home oncology team before you land, along with a written shared-care plan clarifying who manages what once you're home.
Scheduled telemedicine follow-up
Follow-up video consultations with your treating team are scheduled at agreed intervals (commonly 30, 90, 180 days and 1 year), coordinated with your home physician so results flow both directions.