The Journey to a Cure for a Lymphoma Patient in Pakistan
For Muhammad, just 36 years old, the word “health” had become a distant luxury over the past few years.
Muhammad comes from Quetta, known as the “Fruit Garden” of southwestern Pakistan, and worked as an ordinary logistics staff member at a local public hospital. A diagnosis completely changed his life—Muhammad was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), a highly aggressive blood cancer. In the days that followed, he underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy and endured pain beyond ordinary imagination.
Muhammad then underwent a bone marrow transplant at the Aga Khan Hospital in his home country. At that time, he pinned all his hopes on the surgery, believing that after the operation he could gradually return to a normal, healthy life. However, fate dealt him the cruelest blow—just 20 days later, the cancer relapsed.
That moment was not only a physical catastrophe but also the shattering of hope. Staying in Pakistan meant only one path for Muhammad: palliative care. Palliative care meant that doctors would no longer attempt to cure him, but merely use medication to relieve the pain caused by cancer. His attending physician told him explicitly: “We can do no more. You must seek treatment abroad. We can prepare the referral letter, but you must find the hospital yourself.”
Thus, after obtaining official approval from the Pakistan National Medical Commission, Muhammad embarked on his cross-border journey in search of treatment, carrying a sliver of hope for survival.
A Glimmer of Light in Despair—Crossing Oceans to Choose Jiahui
Among the destinations suggested by his doctor, China was one option, but not the only one. Muhammad’s search spanned half the globe—Germany, Singapore, Austria, India, and even the United States and Australia. Every inquiry email sent was like an SOS message in a bottle cast into the sea, with no knowing who would see it, when it would be answered, and, more importantly, how the recipient would respond.
“The German hospital replied very slowly, and the plans from Singapore and India were not clear enough,” he recalled. “But one hospital responded quickly, communicated efficiently, and provided preliminary treatment recommendations—Shanghai Jiahui International Hospital.” Out of urgency for treatment and his initial impression of Jiahui, Muhammad quickly made his decision.
Muhammad, 36, flew to Shanghai accompanied by family members, dragging a weary and pain-ridden body.
Receiving CAR-T Therapy at Jiahui
Examination results after admission confirmed the severity of the situation. He was diagnosed with stage 4B lymphoma, with cancer cells having spread to the lungs, pleura, and bones. Because the cancer relapsed just 20 days after transplantation, his condition was clearly classified as “relapsed/refractory,” meaning it was no longer sensitive to conventional treatment. Moreover, the massive tumor was compressing the lungs and bones, and the pain kept Muhammad awake at night; only high-dose painkillers and multiple strong analgesics could grant him brief relief. Accompanying symptoms also included frequent high fever, night sweats, and weight loss.
Fortunately, Muhammad had come to a country that currently leads the world in the field of CAR-T. According to the latest analysis published in the authoritative journal Frontiers in Pharmacology, China has been leading the globe in the CAR-T field since 2016; as of October 2025, China ranks first in the world in the number of clinical trials in this field. Meanwhile, the number of CAR-T products approved for marketing in China is second only to the United States, ranking second in the world. Another study also noted that CAR-T therapies independently developed in China have achieved internationally recognized clinical results in the field of hematologic malignancies. Since 2021, four locally developed CAR-T products have been approved for marketing in China for the treatment of lymphoma and myeloma, with efficacy reaching global standards.
In early April, Muhammad began several weeks of CAR-T treatment at the Jiahui International Cancer Center: from collecting his own T cells, to bridging therapy to control the tumor, to lymphodepleting chemotherapy, and finally to CAR-T cell infusion. In early May, an initial PET-CT examination showed encouraging treatment results—lymph node lesions had shrunk, and the tumor marker lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) had returned to normal. Beyond the improvement in indicators, Muhammad’s previously unbearable pain was also significantly relieved. On admission, he had relied on high-dose painkillers and multiple sedatives to barely manage the pain; on discharge, he needed only two or three low-dose painkillers orally every 12 hours, with no “breakthrough pain.”
From Palliative Care to Survival Against All Odds: A Pakistani Lymphoma Patient’s Journey to China for Treatment
“I have confidence!” Muhammad in the CAR-T dedicated isolation ward.
Given that Muhammad’s visa was about to expire, the oncology team formulated a one-year follow-up plan and subsequent medication recommendations for him, so that he could return to Pakistan to continue monitoring his condition and take medication correctly.
From Palliative Care to Survival Against All Odds: A Pakistani Lymphoma Patient’s Journey to China for Treatment
Muhammad with Dr. Xuan Linli (center) and Dr. Dong Yan (right) of the Jiahui International Cancer Center.
Communication Beyond Language, Care Across Cultures
Throughout the treatment process, physical pain was only one part. The greater challenge lay in the communication difficulties caused by language differences.
Muhammad’s native language is Urdu, a less widely spoken language, and his English is not fluent, yet English was his only language for communicating with doctors. The entire treatment process involved a large number of English medical terms, which often left him confused, and the patient himself could not accurately convey subtle bodily sensations. Attending physician Dr. Dong Yan recalled: “Communication was the biggest difficulty. We often found that after we finished speaking, he was completely at a loss, and the information gap was very large.”
But the Jiahui team did not let language become a stumbling block to treatment. The doctors used translation software to convert every important sentence into Urdu. When the translator could not fully solve the problem, the doctors even resorted to the most primitive means of communication—gestures, eye contact, and repeated confirmation. In addition, all important medical orders, treatment plans, and precautions were organized into written text by the doctors so that Muhammad could translate them himself using a translator.
If communication could be half-understood and half-guessed due to language barriers, then in terms of diet, given the patient’s religious beliefs, nothing could be ambiguous. Muhammad made it clear from the outset that he hoped the hospital would provide him with food prepared by dry cooking methods and presented with the best taste. To this end, the restaurant team specially customized halal meals for him.
Fortunately, Muhammad’s appetite remained good during hospitalization, and he insisted on eating six eggs every day, which undoubtedly pressed the “accelerator” for his recovery.
From Palliative Care to Survival Against All Odds: A Pakistani Lymphoma Patient’s Journey to China for Treatment
“My daughter gave me the confidence to fight!”
A Precious Burden
On May 8, Muhammad boarded the plane home.
Although this overseas medical journey was not entirely smooth, what comforted him was not only the effectiveness of the treatment and the greatly relieved pain, but also the countless moments of being accommodated, understood, and encouraged. Every kind smile, every carefully prepared halal meal, every repeated confirmation through the translator, and the body language interaction beyond the translator—these sincere and simple connections ultimately bridged the language gap.
Perhaps these precious moments themselves are also part of the healing.
“After returning home, I will follow the follow-up and recovery plan given by the Jiahui doctors. Once fully recovered, I will go back to work, and I hope everything goes smoothly. Inshallah—God willing.”
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