For CLDN18.2-positive, HER2-negative advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer that has progressed after two or more previous treatments — a CAR T-cell therapy approved in China in June 2026. It is a distinct program — separate from the hospital's blood-cancer therapies, with its own pathway and its own first step.
Plain, general information about the disease — the shared starting point before we get to treatment.
Gastric cancer is a cancer of the stomach; when it arises where the stomach meets the esophagus it is called gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer. Most are adenocarcinomas, which begin in the gland cells of the stomach lining. When the cancer has spread beyond where it started, or has returned after treatment, it is described as advanced.
Advanced disease is often treated with several lines of therapy over time. When those options are exhausted, patients have fewer standard treatments left — which is where newer, targeted approaches such as CAR T-cell therapy become relevant, provided the cancer carries the right target.
A later-line option, and only for cancers that carry the specific protein the therapy is directed at.
CAR T-cell therapy is considered for advanced gastric or GEJ cancer that has progressed after at least two prior lines of therapy, rather than as a first treatment.
It works by re-engineering a patient's own immune cells to recognize CLDN18.2, a protein that can sit on the surface of gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancer cells. Because it depends on that target, the cancer must be CLDN18.2-positive — and, for this pathway, HER2-negative — which is why testing comes first.
This program is a one-to-one pairing — a single condition matched to a single therapy, joined by the CLDN18.2 target.
Cancer of the stomach or gastroesophageal junction, in patients whose disease is CLDN18.2-positive and HER2-negative.
A CLDN18.2-directed, autologous CAR T-cell therapy, approved by China's NMPA on 16 June 2026. It is offered at SinoUnited Health's CAR T-Cell Therapy Center in Shanghai.
About satri-cel for gastric cancerUnlike the blood-cancer set — where a condition may be treated by more than one therapy — this pairing is exact. It is shown as a pair, not as a single card in a grid built for many.
This program is considered only when a tumor is CLDN18.2-positive and HER2-negative. Both results are needed before an assessment can begin — and many patients won't have had them, because these tests aren't routine everywhere. Until they're done, there is nothing yet to assess.
Both tests are done on a tissue sample from a previous biopsy or surgery. If you have had either, the tissue may already be stored by the hospital that took it — ask them to keep it. Without tissue, CLDN18.2 testing may not be possible. Your existing pathology can be reviewed before you travel.
Eligibility criteria are confirmed and stated plainly — the decision itself rests with the treating CAR-T team after a full evaluation.
The following information is for reference only. Final treatment decisions should be made by a qualified physician based on each patient's individual condition.
This list is the approved indication. Whether treatment is possible is decided after a specialist review of your medical records and pathology.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Yang is the named physician for the solid tumor program at SinoUnited Health's CAR T-Cell Therapy Center. Assessment, treatment and follow-up for advanced gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancer sit with her and the treating CAR-T team.
The medical team
This is not the single-infusion pathway described elsewhere on this site. Plan for months, not weeks.
CLDN18.2 and HER2 results, on tissue, before anything else can be planned.
Your home countryInfusions are given one at a time. Each means roughly two weeks as an inpatient, and about four weeks nearby afterwards.
ShanghaiThe disease is reassessed after the first infusion, and how well that infusion was tolerated is reviewed.
ShanghaiConsidered only if the disease has not progressed and the previous infusion was well tolerated. Up to three in total.
ShanghaiBecause a course may run to three infusions, travel, accommodation and time away should be planned in months. Scheduling for this program is arranged case by case.
General information from the approved product information, and separately, the facilities treatment is given in.
CAR T-cell therapy can cause cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and nervous system effects. These can be serious and need close monitoring, which is why treatment is given as a supervised inpatient stay.
Infusion and recovery take place with on-site intensive care available if escalation is ever needed, in 100-level laminar flow rooms. Tocilizumab is available on site.
5on-site ICUsAnswers about the target, the testing and what a course involves.
CLDN18.2 is a protein found on the surface of some gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancers, and it is the target this CAR T-cell therapy is directed at. Status is confirmed by a validated test on tumor tissue. It isn't part of every standard workup, so many people do not know their status — if you have had a biopsy or surgery, ask the hospital that took the sample to keep the tissue.
The approved indication covers HER2-negative disease only. If your cancer is HER2-positive, this therapy is not indicated for you — HER2-positive gastric cancer has its own targeted treatments, which your treating team can discuss with you.
A course is one to three infusions, given one at a time. There is an assessment at about four weeks after the first infusion, and a further infusion is considered only if the disease has not progressed and the previous infusion was well tolerated.
Your pathology reports and treatment history, plus CLDN18.2 and HER2 results. Both tests are run on a tissue sample from an earlier biopsy or surgery, so the stored tissue block matters as much as the paperwork.
Yes. Your existing pathology and records can be reviewed remotely before any travel — overseas pathology is accepted. The two biomarker results need to be in hand first.
The first step is a remote assessment by the CAR-T team — but it can only begin once your two biomarker results are in hand.
Have your CLDN18.2 and HER2 test results from home ready. Without both, an assessment can't start yet — so getting tested is the very first thing to do.