On September 13, after more than 100 days of careful treatment by doctors of GoBroad Transplantation Center, Mr. Sun (a pseudonym), a patient with acute myeloid leukemia, was successfully discharged from the hospital. At the age of 73, Mr. Sun set a new record for the oldest allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant patient in the transplant team, as well as in the hospital.

At the beginning of this year, Mr. Sun always felt foot pain, body weakness, appetite is also much worse. In the following month, Mr. Sun's symptoms worsened, with foot pain that made it difficult to walk, inability to eat, abdominal distension and irritability. Unable to tolerate the discomfort, Mr. Sun decided to go to the hospital for further evaluation. Routine blood and bone marrow tests revealed that Mr. Sun most likely had leukemia.

On May 3, Sun arrived at Beijing GoBroad Boren Hospital accompanied by his family. Although it was a holiday, Mr. Sun went through the admission process smoothly under the coordination of Wu Tong, Director of the Transplant Center.

Leukemia MICM typing is very important, which helps to determine the type of leukemia, formulate the appropriate treatment plan, and monitor the effect of treatment. After further extensive testing, Sun was finally diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia with bZIP, CEBPA, CSF3R and NRAS mutations. After 3 rounds of chemotherapy, Sun's condition went into complete remission.

However, the disease was more cunning than expected, and during the subsequent consolidation phase, Mr. Sun was found to have 0.02% suspicious primitive myeloid cells in MRD during a routine examination. This meant that he had to undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Mr. Sun's age was a major hurdle for the transplant. In general, transplantation for elderly patients is more difficult and risky than for normal patients. To ensure the best treatment outcome, the medical team conducted a thorough pre-transplant evaluation and assessment of Sun and carefully designed a reduced-intensity pre-treatment program that best suited his needs.

On July 22-23, Mr. Sun was successfully infused with his son's hematopoietic stem cells. 11 days after the transplantation, platelets were viable, and 14 days after the transplantation, neutrophils were viable, and hematopoietic reconstruction was successful. By September, Mr. Sun's condition was stable and he was discharged from the hospital.

Mr. Sun is especially grateful to the hospital and the medical team for their professional treatment and careful care. He said, "It's the right time to come to the hospital!" He is also very grateful to his family for their companionship and support. Since his illness, his family has been with him all the time, from financial support, spiritual encouragement, physical care to the details of his life, they have taken care of Sun without reservation and in every detail, which also inspired his courage and strength to overcome the illness. Sun's wife was a head nurse at the hospital before she retired, with rich medical and nursing experience, and he was able to be discharged from the hospital without her meticulous care. Although he cannot return to his hometown for the time being, Mr. Sun still feels very happy to have crossed the "line between life and death," and he said that what he wants most at the moment is to have a family reunion.

It was February 22, 2022, a Tuesday, a specia day for Xiao Zhou (pseudonym). On that day, this young man finally saw his life again after enduring countless challenges.

Three years before, Xiao Zhou, a first-year graduate student, was diagnosed with stage IV extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (nasal type). Despite undergoing multiple rounds of chemotherapy at another hospital, his condition did not improve and even worsened to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-associated hemophagocytic syndrome, leaving him in critical condition. On the recommendation of other patients, Xiao Zhou’s parents sought out Dr. Wu Tong’s team at GoBroad Healthcare Group. At GoBroad, Xiao Zhou successfully underwent a haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplant after preconditioning chemotherapy, with his mother as the donor. This summer, he completed his graduate studies and found his way of life -- becoming a teacher to guide and inspire the next generation of students.

Diagnosed at An Advanced Stage: What Lies Ahead?

One day in 2021, Xiao Zhou suddenly developed a high fever of 39°C. It subsided temporarily after administration of antipyretics but kept returning a few days later without any apparent cause. Due to recurring fevers those days, Xiao Zhou decided to go to the hospital for a thorough examination.

Initial blood tests showed no abnormalities, and the doctor reassured him that it was not a blood disease. However, Xiao Zhou was not convinced and suspected that something was wrong with his blood system.

That summer, Xiao Zhou went to a hospital in Guangzhou, where his parents were doing business, for further tests. According to the PET-CT scan findings, he was definitely diagnosed with stage IV extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma (nasal type). It is a unique subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma associated with EBV infection caused by immune deficiency. For stage I/II NK/T-cell lymphoma, most patients can be cured through chemotherapy combined with local radiotherapy. However, for stage III/IV or refractory/recurrent cases, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is required.

In addition, the PET-CT scan revealed multiple tumors in his abdomen, lungs, nasal cavity, and neck, indicating a very severe condition.

Normal Life Paused, Treatment Began

Initially, treatment at the local hospital was fraught with difficulties. After 6-7 rounds of chemotherapy, his condition showed no signs of improvement, and inaccurate medication had even caused his illness progress into hemophagocytic syndrome. As his condition worsened, the doctors issued a critical condition notice. In a moment of despair, Xiao Zhou decided to take a final chance and seek treatment at GoBroad Healthcare Group on the recommendation of other patients.

Upon his arriving at GoBroad, Dr. Wu Tong designed a personalized treatment plan for Xiao Zhou. The first step was preconditioning chemotherapy to reduce the tumor burden and achieve the maximum possible remission before transplant.

Looking back on his time in the treatment room, Xiao Zhou vividly remembers a particular moment: After undergoing intensive chemotherapy, he developed folliculitis and buccal ulceration. The daily suffering was immense, which took a serious toll on his mental state. “At that time, I thought my life would never be the same as that of a normal person and I would always be a patient in the eyes of others…”

Just when Xiao Zhou was losing hope, the words from Dr. Wu Tong during his rounds brought him immense confidence: “Everything is just paused. Once you get through this phase, everything will return to normal.”

That seemingly ordinary statement brought a glimmer of hope to Xiao Zhou. “Dr. Wu’s words felt like a wake-up call, showing me a beacon of hope.” From that moment on, Xiao Zhou resolved to stay strong and get through the hardship. In reality, even after leaving the treatment room, he faced severe rejection, extreme physical weakness, and muscle atrophy from long period of bed rest, leaving him unable to stand or walk when he was discharged. Yet, despite these challenges, Xiao Zhou was no longer as negative as before; instead, he felt that victory was just within reach.

A Bright Future Ahead

It has now been over two years since Xiao Zhou’s transplant, and his health has greatly improved. He has been back at school for some time. Today, he has successfully graduated with his master’s degree and become a teacher to guide and inspire the next generation of students.