Dual-Target CAR-T Therapy at Lu Daopei Hospital Gives Critically Ill International DLBCL Patient a New Lease on Life

In June 2025, a 60-year-old Egyptian patient with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL), accompanied by family, arrived in Beijing after a long flight. His condition was extremely critical: a massive abdominal tumor, multiple high-risk TP53 gene mutations, severe systemic edema, persistent diarrhea, and extreme weakness that left him unable to sit up independently. With hope dwindling, they sought help from Lu Daopei Hospital, drawn by its reputation.

The International Department of Lu Daopei Hospital and the team led by Director Zhang Xian had made comprehensive preparations in advance, dispatching an ambulance and staff specifically for his arrival. After a rapid yet thorough assessment, Director Zhang Xian's team formulated an individualized precision treatment plan: local radiotherapy combined with CAR-T cell therapy targeting both CD19 and CD22.

Dual-target CAR-T therapy for DLBCL is an immunotherapy approach that simultaneously targets the CD19 and CD22 antigens. It aims to overcome issues of immune escape and drug resistance encountered with single-target therapies. Given the high heterogeneity of DLBCL and the potential for tumor cells to lose expression of a single antigen, dual-target CAR-T therapy can effectively reduce the risk of tumor cell escape, thereby enhancing efficacy and improving cure rates. Currently, dual-target CAR-T has achieved good clinical outcomes in patients with relapsed/refractory DLBCL, demonstrating high response rates and a lower risk of resistance.

As treatment progressed, and with the meticulous care of the medical team, the patient gradually regained strength. The tumor significantly shrank, the abdominal mass markedly reduced, diarrhea symptoms gradually disappeared, edema subsided, and his overall physical condition improved substantially.

After 28 days of treatment, PET/CT assessment brought encouraging news: the patient's condition had shown very significant improvement, and the treatment effect was remarkable. Two months later, the patient's physical condition had recovered well, and he was assessed as fit for discharge. He walked out of the ward on his own, smiling.

After just two months of treatment, progressing from being unable to sit up to walking out independently, the patient and his family were deeply moved. They specifically wrote heartfelt letters of thanks to Director Zhang Xian's medical team, the nursing team, and the International Department of Lu Daopei Hospital:

To the Doctors: Thank you for your superb professional skills, selfless dedication, and the correct decisions made at critical moments, which gave our family hope and confidence at every step.

To the Nursing Team: Thank you for your unwavering patience, kindness, and diligent care day and night, providing not only medical assistance but also the warmth and comfort of family.

To the International Department: Thank you for the meticulous arrangements regarding travel, communication, and coordination, making us feel the warmth of "home" in a foreign land.

Case Commentary:

Director Zhang XianDepartment of HematologyLu Daopei Hospital

For patients with high-risk Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, including double-hit lymphoma with TP53 mutations, high-grade DLBCL, and high-grade B-cell lymphomas (such as Burkitt lymphoma), conventional treatments often prove ineffective once the disease becomes refractory or relapses, which can lead to profound pessimism for patients and families.

However, don't lose hope. Advances in medicine continue to bring new options. CAR-T cell therapy, especially dual-target CAR-T, as well as novel regimens like autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation combined with sequential CAR-T therapy, have shown good efficacy in some patients, offering new survival hope to those who were previously in dire straits.