45-year-old Alexander Gaskov- a retired major, director of a fire testing laboratory. Two years ago, he started having heart pain. It turned out to be a tumor in his head.
Doctors diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system (CNS). Chemotherapy failed, and the tumor progressed. Alexander was losing strength, weight, and hope. But he became the patient who changed the approach to treating this aggressive disease. To save him, a true mix of innovative methods was used: two lines of CAR-T therapy, bispecific antibodies, and three more lines of CAR-T.
Part 1. The Diagnosis
Retired Major Alexander Gaskov and his wife Elena live in Novosibirsk. Both work at their own company, “Fire Testing Laboratory No. 54”: Alexander is the director, Elena is the chief accountant.
Two years ago, in April, Alexander experienced severe heart pain. He went to a cardiologist, had an ECG — everything was normal.
— They sent me to a neurologist, who ordered an MRI. And the MRI showed: a tumor in my head, — says Alexander. — On 20 May 2024, I underwent a craniotomy. A biopsy confirmed: B-cell lymphoma of the CNS.
— I called the center where the MRI was done and asked: ‘Is this serious?’ They told me: ‘Yes, very serious,’— recalls Elena. Panic set in, it was hard. The worst thing was the uncertainty. At first, they said lymphoma could be treated quickly.
Alexander was prescribed chemotherapy in Novosibirsk. The first course — 20th of June, the fourth — 20th of September.
— The first two courses were done at the regional hospital, — Elena clarifies. — It didn't help. Then we went to the Research Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine in Novosibirsk, had two more courses. Also without results.
— The chemotherapy was brutal, I barely survived, — says Alexander. — And after the PET-CT, it turned out the lymphoma hadn't gone anywhere but was progressing. My wife started calling everywhere, asking around.
— I arrived to the National Medical Research Center for Hematology of the Russian Ministry of Health. I am very grateful to Tatyana Nikolaevna Moiseeva — she saw me and gave a consultation. And then we came together with my husband for an appointment with Evgeny Evgenyevich Zvonkov, — says Elena.
Part 2. The Path to China and Fundraising for Treatment
— Evgeny Evgenyevich said there was only one way out: CAR T-cell therapy, — Alexander continues. — My wife found a Chinese clinic. There was an option with Belarus, but they only offered one type of CAR-T. In China, there were five.
The Gaskov family did not turn to foundations for help paying for the treatment in China.
— We had money saved for building a house, but it wasn't enough, — Elena recalls. — And complete strangers started helping us.
— I used to be a forensic expert, constantly training in St. Petersburg, and of course I have acquaintances all over Russia. Friends started sending messages to their friends. And this announcement spread all over Russia, and people started sending 100, 500 rubles each. Transfers started coming to me. At first, I tried to thank everyone individually, but then such a wave came that it was impossible to reply. Today I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who participated in my recovery. I would shake each person's hand. The house still stands unfinished, but that's not the main thing. The main thing is health.
Part 3. The Relapse and the Return
— In China, they immediately infused CAR T-cells, covered me with sensors, and pseudoprogression began, — says Alexander. — Lena walked around with our eldest son, smiling at me. But they had already been told there was no chance. I felt I was dying. I lay there, didn't move, didn't walk, didn't eat anything. And then my wife grabbed me and took me back to Russia.
The flight from Beijing to Moscow is eight hours. In China, they said he wouldn't survive.
— So there was an agreement with Vladivostok that they would take us in, — Elena explains. — His condition was very serious. There they gave us help, relieved the swelling, and stabilized him a bit. Huge thanks for the professionalism of Vitaly Sergeevich Dubov.
— A young doctor, he was 29 at the time. And I thought: what a talent! Very smart. A real genius, — Alexander adds.
After Vladivostok, they flew to the NMRC for Hematology.
— He was already in a wheelchair, with constant headaches and vomiting, — says Elena.
— They put me in intensive care, and I was out for a month, — Alexander recalls. — All that time I was on parenteral nutrition. I lost weight. When I woke up, I had no muscles at all. My legs were thin, my arms were thin — I couldn't stand up. At the end of January 2025, a rehabilitation specialist came and taught me how to sit. I learned to walk all over again. By February, I was slowly walking along the corridors with a walker.
— Thanks to your wonderful intensive care doctors, Evgeny Evgenyevich and his team — Daria Alexandrovna Koroleva and Olga Olegovna Shchetsova — not just a patient was saved, but our entire family, — says Elena.
— They pulled me through, — Alexander concludes briefly.
Part 4. Five CAR-Ts and a Miracle
On the 11th of March, they flew to China again, and from there — on to Siberia, home.
In total: in December — two CAR-T infusions, in March — three more. Five CAR-Ts.
— When we flew out of Moscow for Beijing the second time, the tumor was already gone. When I was brought in, doctors came running to see if I was alive. The chief physician and neurosurgeon came. They were very surprised, — says Alexander.
— In this situation, the main thing is not to give up. You have to search, read, find out. My wife is amazing. She “pulled me out,” I owe my life to her.
— Well, it wasn't me who “pulled you out,” but the doctors, — Elena objects.
— There must be some mission for me, since I survived. For what? It turns out, not in vain, — says Alexander.
Part 5. A Unique Patient
Evgeny Zvonkov, Head of the Department of Hematology and Chemotherapy for Lymphomas with Bone Marrow and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Unit, Doctor of Medical Sciences:
“Alexander is a unique patient. He received five types of CAR T-cell therapy in combination with bispecific antibodies. He is the first patient with a resistant form of CNS lymphoma who responded to bispecific antibodies. That was the first sign: we confirmed the activity of bispecifics in CNS lymphoma. Before this, classical protocols excluded such patients. Alexander opened the door for the use of bispecifics in other patients with relapsed CNS lymphoma. Today, we have begun using them in the first line very effectively — and thanks to him, 15 patients have already received this therapy. We are the first in the world to start this treatment.”
— So it turns out I survived to give light to further progress in medicine, — Alexander reflects. — Now this method is being placed in the first line of therapy. Not when a person is already weakened, but when they still have full strength.
Part 6. Alsou, “The Bulldozer,” and a New Life
Before meeting Evgeny Zvonkov, the Gaskovs read the story of Alsou — a mother of six children who was diagnosed with CNS lymphoma after giving birth.
— Her story inspired me. When I got to see Evgeny Evgenyevich, I asked: “Can I be cured like Alsou?” But she had a bone marrow transplant, and Evgeny Evgenyevich, after looking under the microscope, told me: only CAR-T, — Alexander recalls.
When twe returned to Novosibirsk, local hematologists came to see me.
— They were so genuinely happy. I really felt that sincerity. And when I came for a PET scan at the city hospital, the doctor spent forty minutes re-entering my data into the system — the old file had already been archived, — Alexander smiles.
— Many doctors, I think, simply didn't believe it, — Elena adds.
Part 7. A Reassessment of Values
This story taught them a lot.
— Before, I was arrogant. A retired major, a businessman. But now, all people are good to me. And I have neither enemies nor competitors. I looked at the world from a different side — as if from the other world.
Once, when Alexander was delirious, he imagined that he had arrived at the center on a bulldozer and Evgeny Evgenyevich wanted to buy it.
— I kept asking him: “Are you going to buy the Bulldozer or not?” My wife later said: “You drove everyone crazy with that bulldozer.” But I saw it. Maybe some information was coming to me?
— The main thing is not to give up, — Elena is convinced. — We need to be together: the doctor, the patients, the relatives.
— There is always hope, — Alexander adds. — My wife told me: “Get a second opinion,” but I brushed it off. Now I know: there should be a second, a third, and a fourth opinion. Medicine is very individual. For each patient — their own type of treatment.
— I learned that we don't just have doctors, but geniuses, — says Elena. — Gods of medicine.
— We constantly follow the Center's news, are subscribed to all social networks, watch congresses. And we are so happy for every victory! — says Alexander.
The desire to say thank you brought the Gaskovs to the NMRC for Hematology together with their daughter Albina: the girl drew a portrait of the doctors who gave her father back to her.
— It's a miracle that we ended up with you. We owe our lives to wonderful doctors. You didn't just save a patient — you saved an entire family. We just believed. Hoped that everything would be fine, — says Elena.
— My wife believed, — he adds quietly. — And I... I went through the entire treatment as if in a fog. But now I know what I survived for.
Part 8. Dream Island
Two years ago, the Gaskovs were afraid to think about tomorrow. Today, they can make plans. After the NMRC for Hematology, Alexander, Elena, and their daughter Albina went to the amusement park “Dream Island.” The place they once promised to visit as a family.
After the interview, Alexander and Elena sent additional words of gratitude.
“Our family wants to express boundless gratitude to everyone who made this miracle possible. First of all — to our doctors. A deep bow to you for your skill, patience, faith, and heart. You didn't just treat — you fought alongside us and didn't let us lose faith. We also thank all our relatives and loved ones. Thank you for being there when it was needed most. Your love and care became our support. And, of course, a deep bow to all the compassionate people who supported us during treatment. Those who prayed, who offered advice, who simply worried from afar. Your involvement gave us the strength to believe in better. This is our shared victory, and we will remember it for the rest of our lives."
