Most patients follow the same five stages. Plan for months, not weeks — the bottleneck is almost always records and visa paperwork, not the hospital.
Pathology report, biomarker/genomic results, most recent imaging, and a chronological treatment history. Incomplete biomarker testing is the single most common reason a case review comes back inconclusive.
Records are translated and mapped to ICD-10, then reviewed by a relevant specialist. Expect a written opinion on candidacy and a proposed treatment plan before any travel decision.
The hospital issues documentation supporting a medical (S2) visa. Apply early; bring accommodation and a companion into the plan.
Oral targeted drugs may involve a short visit and a prescription you fill locally. Cell therapy is far longer — typically two trips and 6–8 weeks in country in total.
Translated discharge summaries, imaging and a monitoring plan. Your home doctor remains responsible for your care, which is why we insist they stay involved from the start.
| Item | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial CAR-T (cells + hospitalisation) | ¥1.0 – 1.3 million | Product list price plus inpatient management of side effects. |
| Oral targeted therapy (per month) | Varies widely | Depends on drug, dose and whether a patient-assistance programme applies. |
| Remote case review / second opinion | Usually modest | Some hospitals provide this without charge; others bill a consultation fee. |
| Coordination, translation, companion | Per-case fee | Charged by facilitators, not by us at this stage. |
| Travel, accommodation, companion | Additional | Budget for 6–8 weeks for cell therapy, less for oral therapy. |
Figures are indicative and change. Always ask for a written, itemised quotation before travelling.
This is the part most people get wrong. Read it before you ask anyone to bring medicine across a border.
Prescription medicines in China require a prescription from a licensed Chinese physician. Buying from a pharmacy with that prescription is legal. Selling, exporting or brokering medicine without a licence is not — Chinese law restricts drug sale and export to licensed entities, and commercial-scale activity can carry criminal exposure.
The narrow tolerance for individuals applies to personal, non-commercial, self-use quantities — not to anyone running a service.
In the United States, importing a medicine that is not FDA-approved is generally prohibited. FDA practice may allow a personal shipment through at the border where the drug treats a serious condition, no effective treatment exists domestically, the quantity is around a 90-day supply, it is affirmatively for personal use — and it is not commercialised.
That last condition is decisive: the moment a business is arranging the import, the tolerance no longer applies. Similar named-patient or personal-import rules exist in many other countries, each with its own paperwork.