Three strokes of liver cancer in 7 years, every time it was a near miss.
Mr. Zheng (pseudonym), 65, is a private business owner. From self-made to financial freedom, he is undoubtedly the lucky one among countless entrepreneurs. But he got cancer 3 times in 7 years, but he still laughed and said that he was “lucky”, which is really puzzling.
Picture source: Visual China (picture and text irrelevant)
A seemingly healthy person has early cirrhosis
“I don’t feel any discomfort now, just enjoy the moment and leave the business to my son.” Oncology in Hangzhou Xixi Hospital (Hangzhou Sixth People’s Hospital) affiliated to Zhejiang University School of Medicine In the consultation room of the head of the department, Yu Jixian, Mr. Zheng said freely.
According to Dr. Yu’s request, Mr. Zheng only needs to review the relevant indicators every 3 months, but he will appear in her consultation room on time every month and chat like an old friend. “For more than 10 years, I have long been used to it, and thanks to this good habit, I have been saved again and again.” He couldn’t help sighing.
At that time, Mr. Zheng was in his early 50s and his career was booming. But a physical examination report pressed the pause button for him, “abnormal liver function, multiple nodules in the liver”. Hearing that the sixth hospital in Hangzhou is good for liver disease, he went there, and happened to meet Yu Jixian, who was out of the specialist clinic that day.
“Although he looked no different from a healthy person at the time, he didn’t feel any discomfort. However, he was positive for hepatitis B, and the relevant examinations indicated that it was in the early stage of liver cirrhosis.” Yu Jixian also clearly remembers the first diagnosis. time situation.
Mr. Zheng, who heard the diagnosis, was surprisingly calm. He was just learning that the culprit was hepatitis B virus. In addition, he had worked hard for business for many years, often drinking and socializing, which had made the liver that was already sick. When things got worse, there was some self-blame and regret.
Yu Jixian’s comprehensive assessment believes that Mr. Zheng is a high-risk group of liver cancer, and needs to be treated with antiviral and anti-fibrotic therapy at the same time as regular follow-up. It is recommended to check AFP (a specific tumor marker for liver cancer) every 3 months. ) and liver ultrasound, and liver CT or MRI every 6 months.
Mr. Zheng’s compliance is very high, even if the indicators show normal again and again, he has not let down his guard in the slightest. Thus, there is what he calls “lucky”.
Successfully survived liver cancer 3 times in 7 years
7 years ago, during the regular follow-up of B, Mr. Zheng found that the intrahepatic nodules had increased compared with the previous ones, but the AFP was normal. Further CT/MRI examinations confirmed the diagnosis of early liver cancer. Yu Jixian invited experts from related disciplines for consultation, and finally decided on a radiofrequency ablation treatment plan.
“You don’t need surgery, you just stay in the hospital for three or four days, and you only need regular follow-up check-ups as before.” Mr. Zheng easily talked about his history of cancer, as if he had a small I have a common cold. “The second time was 4 years ago. It was also found by B-ultrasound during follow-up. There was a new nodule in the liver, and it was diagnosed as liver cancer again. Radiofrequency ablation was performed again.”
And for the third time, Mr. Zheng gave Yu Jixian a thumbs up. One year ago, during follow-up, it was found that AFP was slightly elevated, CA199 was elevated, and total bilirubin and glutamyl transpeptidase were slightly elevated, but no obvious liver space-occupying lesions were found in the initial B-ultrasound and liver MRI examinations. .
In view of the fact that he has been diagnosed with liver cancer twice, and combined with various examinations, Yu Jixian made an appointment for a tumor MDT consultation. Experts agreed that his new tumor is very likely, and the current tumor may be relatively small. B Ultrasound or MRI examination may not be able to find it, it is recommended to do further PET-CT examination, the result is really liver cancer. So, through surgery, Mr. Zheng once again escaped the clutches of liver cancer.
“Lucky” only favors those who have regular follow-up treatment
He was diagnosed with liver cancer 3 times in 7 years, and every time it was a near miss. Mr. Zheng felt that everything was due to his “Luck Goddess” Dr. Yu. But Yu Jixian said that it was mainly due to himself.
“Since he was first diagnosed with liver cancer, his survival period has exceeded 7 years. The key lies in early diagnosis and early treatment, and standardized follow-up treatment.” Yu Jixian said frankly.
In the outpatient clinic, I often encounter some patients who say that their liver function is normal after antiviral treatment, and the hepatitis B HBVDNA is also negative. Why do they need regular re-examination? Sometimes I only want to check liver function and AFP, and don’t do other tests. There are even long-term antiretroviral patients, who do not have regular examinations, and wait until they experience discomfort such as upper abdominal pain. Once they are found to have advanced liver cancer, they have lost the best chance of treatment, and their survival time is generally less than 1 year.
Hangzhou Xixi Hospital is a tertiary hospital specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of liver diseases. Every year, a large number of liver cancer patients come to see the doctor. “Hepatitis B – cirrhosis – liver cancer” is the disease progression path of most liver cancer patients. Only with standardized follow-up treatment can the signal of malignant transformation be captured in time, and then the tragedy can be prevented at the minimum cost. AFP is a specific tumor marker for liver cancer, but clinically, about 25-30% of liver cancer patients have normal AFP. AFP alone is not enough to screen liver cancer. There is a risk of missed diagnosis, and Mr. Zheng’s share may be missed. “Lucky”.
Of course, you don’t have to despair if you are unfortunate. “Cancer is not a terminal disease. Through scientific treatment, just like chronic diseases, the key is that patients should work with doctors to deal with and manage them.” Yu Jixian always This encourages patients and families.
Source: Qianjiang Evening News
Proofreading: Zang Hengjia
Editor in charge: Tian Dongliang
* The medical community strives for the accuracy and reliability of its published content when it is reviewed and approved, but does not regard the timeliness of the published content, and the accuracy and completeness of the cited materials (if any), etc. Make any promises and guarantees, and do not assume any responsibility for the outdated content, possible inaccuracy or incompleteness of the cited information. Relevant parties are requested to check separately when adopting or using it as a basis for decision-making.