--- title: After Her Fusion Gene Stayed Positive Through Multiple Rounds of Chemotherapy, CIK-Based Treatment Brought Deep Remission url: "https://www.yyhmedical.com/en/stories/aml-cik-treatment" type: Article inLanguage: en-US disease: Acute Myeloid Leukemia treatment: CIK Cell Immunotherapy, Targeted Therapy datePublished: 2026-01-16 --- # After Her Fusion Gene Stayed Positive Through Multiple Rounds of Chemotherapy, CIK-Based Treatment Brought Deep Remission > Diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at 49, she went through multiple rounds of chemotherapy, yet her fusion gene remained detectable. After coming to Beijing GoBroad Boren Hospital for individualized treatment including CIK cell immunotherapy, she achieved deep remission. She has now stopped all anti-cancer medications and has remained in remission for more than three years. Summary: At 49, Ms. Yu was diagnosed with AML-M2 with a positive CBFβ-MYH11 fusion. She underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy. Although her bone marrow morphology showed remission, the fusion gene remained detectable, leaving treatment at an impasse. On the recommendation of another patient, she came to Beijing GoBroad Boren Hospital, where Dr. Chunrong Tong, Dr. Defeng Zhao, and their team developed an individualized treatment plan. In addition to chemotherapy and targeted therapy, CIK cell immunotherapy was incorporated into her treatment, and the CBFβ-MYH11 fusion eventually became undetectable, marking deep remission. Her journey later included another setback when leukemia involved the central nervous system. The team promptly adjusted the treatment strategy with intrathecal therapy, radiotherapy, and long-term maintenance treatment, helping her regain and sustain remission. In November 2025, she successfully stopped all anti-cancer medications, including targeted therapy. She now only needs follow-up every six months and has remained in remission for more than three years. Her experience highlights the value of individualized precision treatment, cellular immunotherapy, and consistent long-term management for AML, and offers hope to patients whose treatment has reached a difficult crossroads. In September 2021, 49-year-old Ms. Yu (pseudonym), a full-time mother, was focused on supporting her son through his final year of high school and preparation for the gaokao, China's national college entrance examination. Then an AML-M2 diagnosis, with a positive CBFβ-MYH11 fusion, suddenly disrupted the family's life. She underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy at a local hospital, but the key fusion gene remained detectable and treatment reached an impasse. In March 2022, encouraged by another patient, Ms. Yu traveled to Beijing GoBroad Boren Hospital. Dr. Chunrong Tong, Dr. Defeng Zhao, and their team quickly carried out a comprehensive assessment and designed an individualized treatment plan combining chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and CIK cell immunotherapy. With treatment tailored closely to her disease, the fusion gene finally became undetectable and she achieved deep remission. In November 2025, she stopped all anti-cancer medications, including targeted therapy, and now only needs follow-up every six months. Today, Ms. Yu has remained in remission for more than three years and continues to regain her strength. Her son has also gone on to attend a top university. From having their lives suddenly thrown off course by leukemia to finding stability and hope again, the family has finally entered a new chapter. ![412e86b2-af2a-4ff5-a3da-798cb1cb09db.png](https://gaobo-byh-h5.oss-accelerate.aliyuncs.com/images/20260912/07135c7bd6558a0544e6f35ea402e83d_20260912225228.png "07135c7bd6558a0544e6f35ea402e83d_20260912225228.png")  **The Diagnosis: Leukemia Arrived During Her Son's Final Year of High School** In August 2021, I began having unexplained pain in my right leg. I went to the hospital several times, but no clear cause was found. Then in September, a bone marrow aspiration finally gave us the diagnosis: AML-M2 with a positive CBFβ-MYH11 fusion. The first thing I asked after the diagnosis was, "Do I still have a year? Will I be able to stay with my son until he finishes his final year of high school?" My husband stayed with me in the hospital, while our son was trying to cope with both schoolwork and the changes at home. I know he must have cried many times when I could not see him, but whenever he was with me, he stayed positive and upbeat. That gave me enormous comfort. **A Treatment Roadblock: Multiple Courses of Chemotherapy, but the Fusion Gene Remained Detectable** After five months of treatment, my bone marrow showed morphologic remission, but the CBFβ-MYH11 fusion fell only from 26.76% to 0.03% and never became undetectable. We felt completely stuck. A family member of another patient in the same ward suggested that we seek further care at a specialized hematology hospital. My husband consulted several hematology specialists online, and the professionalism, sincerity, and clear treatment approach of Dr. Chunrong Tong at Beijing GoBroad Boren Hospital gave us hope. We decided to come to Boren. **Seeking Care in Beijing: CIK Cell Immunotherapy Brings a Breakthrough** Four years later, I still remember the first time I met Dr. Chunrong Tong. After carefully explaining the treatment plan, she gently patted my shoulder and said with confidence, "I've successfully treated patients like you before. Give me two months - let me help you beat this." I burst into tears. In that moment, her calm confidence gave me a sense that there was finally a way through. I knew Dr. Tong was not making a casual promise. Her confidence came from decades of clinical experience and from having treated many patients with difficult blood cancers. After a detailed review of my disease, Dr. Tong and the team developed a step-by-step individualized plan. In the first phase, I received a combination of several anti-cancer medications while the team closely monitored my results. After treatment, the fusion-gene level decreased slightly, but not enough. In April 2022, the team adjusted the plan and moved into a second phase, optimizing the medications and combining a CD38 monoclonal antibody, epigenetic therapy, and multiple targeted agents. Unfortunately, the fusion gene was still detectable. The real turning point came after CIK cell immunotherapy. My CIK cells were collected on May 21, 2022, and I received two infusions on May 31 and June 1. By then, I was trying not to expect too much. Because earlier treatments had not worked as well as we hoped, the transplant team had already discussed transplantation with me. After the second infusion, I even returned home before the test results came back, carrying a mix of emotions. On June 14, 2022, my attending doctor called me, clearly excited: "Your fusion gene is negative!" I opened the hospital app on my phone and saw the result I had waited so long for: "Fusion gene: 0.00%." Nearly a year of struggle, uncertainty, pain, and disappointment suddenly gave way to hope. Dr. Defeng Zhao called soon afterward to congratulate me. I will never forget the joy in his voice. **A Second Setback: CNS Leukemia Relapse, Followed by Another Carefully Tailored Treatment Plan** Just when I thought the hardest part was behind me and was looking forward to fewer follow-up visits, another challenge arrived. In October 2022, a routine lumbar puncture showed a cerebrospinal fluid CBFβ-MYH11 fusion level of 6.78%, and I was diagnosed with central nervous system leukemia. In addition to intrathecal therapy, I needed radiotherapy at another hospital. During the cold Beijing winter, my son, who was on school break, accompanied me every day as we carried the heavy radiotherapy positioning mold back and forth between two hospitals. Before I went into the treatment room, we would look at each other without saying much - but that look seemed to say everything. Radiotherapy made the hair that had finally grown back fall out again. I dealt with nausea, fatigue, dizziness, and vomiting, but with careful medical management and my family's support, I completed the full course of treatment. By March 2023, follow-up testing showed that the fusion gene in my cerebrospinal fluid remained undetectable. I had made it through another major hurdle. Dr. Chunrong Tong and Dr. Defeng Zhao then developed a long-term treatment plan for me, with regular return visits to maintain remission, reduce the risk of relapse, and consolidate the response. As my condition became more stable, the interval between follow-up visits gradually became longer. In November 2025, I returned to Beijing GoBroad Boren Hospital for another review. The results were reassuring: my disease remained in remission. After that visit, I was finally able to stop all anti-cancer medications, including targeted therapy. From now on, I only need a follow-up every six months. **Care Beyond Treatment: The Small Moments That Helped Me Through** Looking back on this long and winding leukemia journey, I realize that the moments of kindness along the way were far more numerous than I ever noticed at the time. At Boren, I received not only expert medical care, but also thoughtful support in the smallest details. While I was anxiously waiting for bone marrow results, my attending doctor would call the laboratory in advance just so I could hear the result half an hour sooner. When chemotherapy affected my appetite, one of the doctors caring for me took a detour in the rain on the way to work to buy me freshly baked bread. Dr. Defeng Zhao made time to chat with me every day, helping ease my anxiety during treatment. When I was too weak to walk, the nurses pushed me in a wheelchair to different departments for tests. A member of the cleaning staff would sometimes bring me homemade snacks. The mother of another patient in my room carefully helped arrange my meals as if I were her own daughter. I was cared for by so many people along the way. Sometimes medicine can cure; often it can help; and always, compassion can comfort. **A New Chapter: Seeing Life Differently and Passing the Kindness On** This illness changed the way I see life. I often hear other patients ask, "Why me? Why did this happen to me?" One line from a film has stayed with me: "Some of life's sweetest joys grow out of sorrow, and some of its most beautiful things are born from hardship. We go through difficult times ourselves, and only then learn how to comfort others." The summer breeze, autumn leaves, and winter snow once felt ordinary. Now they are some of the most beautiful things in the world to me. Walking through the hospital corridors, I would see the names of doctors and nurses who had volunteered to donate blood. Their faces and smiles comforted me more than once. I do not know them personally, but I will always remember their kindness. I came to feel that faith does not need a shrine; compassion can be found in ordinary people all around us. Thank you, Boren. If there were a book of angels on earth, your names would be written in gold on the very first page. ## Expert view Case Commentary from Dr. Defeng Zhao: The patient was diagnosed with AML-M2 with a CBFβ-MYH11 fusion. Despite multiple rounds of chemotherapy at another hospital, the fusion gene remained detectable and she had not achieved deep remission. We used targeted therapy, including CIK cell therapy, and her bone marrow fusion-gene level subsequently fell to zero, indicating deep remission of the leukemia. At Beijing GoBroad Boren Hospital, our strategy is to continue targeted therapy together with immunomodulatory treatment for three years, with the goal of maintaining deep remission, preventing relapse, and working toward clinical cure. For patients with relapsed or refractory AML, selecting an appropriate targeted agent, combining it with immunomodulatory therapy, and using cellular therapy when appropriate can be an effective way to achieve another remission. These approaches can also be relatively well tolerated and may have a limited impact on quality of life. > This content is published with the authorization of the patient and their family, intended solely to share real experiences and health knowledge. It does not constitute a recommendation of any treatment plan or medical diagnostic advice. For specific treatment, please follow the guidance of a professional physician. --- Original (HTML):https://www.yyhmedical.com/en/stories/aml-cik-treatment This is a clean Markdown mirror for large language models; the original page is authoritative.