“When I was diagnosed seven years ago, I was almost in despair. It was a time of great physical and emotional pain,” recalled Mr. Guo (pseudonym), who was diagnosed with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). After undergoing multiple rounds of chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation, his disease still kept coming back. Fortunately, in 2018, Mr. Guo received Relma-cel injection, a domestically developed CAR-T cell immunotherapy at the Department of Hematology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. During seven years of follow-up, his tumor has remained in complete remission. Today, Mr. Guo has returned to normal life and built a happy family.
Mr. Guo’s story is not unique. At Ruijin Hospital in Shanghai, more than 200 patients with relapsed/refractory lymphoma have received CAR-T cell immunotherapy, with a three-year complete remission (CR) rate reaching 70%. Some patients have already survived for more than five years, meeting the clinical criteria for a cure.
CAR-T Therapy Brings New Hope for Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Lymphoma
“Lymphoma is a malignant tumor that originates in the hematologic system. It has many subtypes and strong heterogeneity, making it clinically very challenging to treat. First, the subtypes are complex—even patients with the same pathological type may respond very differently; second, relapse is common—40%–60% of patients still respond poorly after first-line therapy; third, some patients develop drug resistance early during chemotherapy,” said Professor Yan Zixun, Associate Chief Physician at the Department of Hematology, Ruijin Hospital.
“This is why early identification and timely adjustment of treatment strategies are essential. Only by introducing new drugs or therapies can we improve overall treatment outcomes for lymphoma.”
“For newly diagnosed patients, such as those with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, the standard R-CHOP regimen remains the foundation. However, when patients fail to gain long-term benefit from standard therapy, CAR-T cell immunotherapy becomes an important subsequent treatment option,” Yan explained.
“Looking at the data, the ZUMA-1 trial showed a five-year survival rate of 42.6% for patients receiving CAR-T therapy. However, in China, the Relmacel study showed a four-year survival rate of 66.7%. For lymphoma patients, remaining relapse-free beyond five years essentially means achieving clinical cure.”
“CAR-T cell immunotherapy is mainly used for patients with primary refractory or relapsed/refractory disease. It has been recommended by both the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Guidelines in the U.S. and the CSCO 2025 Lymphoma Guidelines in China as the preferred third-line therapy for lymphoma. Patients who fail to achieve complete remission after second-line therapy are also recommended to receive CAR-T; in addition, patients with primary refractory disease or relapse within 12 months are recognized by guidelines as important candidates for CAR-T. Currently, CAR-T has been approved in China for use in second-line treatment of relapsed/refractory DLBCL,” Yan noted. “However, not all patients are suitable for CAR-T. Accurate patient selection is the key.”
About Relmacabtagene Autoleucel Injection (Brand Name: Carteyva)
Relmacabtagene Autoleucel Injection (relma-cel, marketed under the brand name Carteyva for hematologic oncology indications) is an autologous anti-CD19 CAR-T cell therapy independently developed by JW Therapeutics, based on Juno Therapeutics’ (a Bristol Myers Squibb company) CAR-T cell platform.
As JW’s first commercial product, relma-cel has been approved by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for three indications:
- Adult patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma (r/r LBCL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy.
- Adult patients with relapsed/refractory follicular lymphoma (r/r FL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy, including those with refractory disease or relapse within 24 months.
- Adult patients with relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (r/r MCL) after two or more lines of systemic therapy, including treatment with a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitor (BTKi).
Relma-cel was the first CAR-T product in China approved as a Category 1 Biological Product. It has also been granted “Major New Drug Innovation” project support, Priority Review designation for new drug applications, and Breakthrough Therapy designation, marking it as a milestone product in China’s cell therapy field.
