Clemencia Aguinaldo from Philippine with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

On December 12, 2015, Ms. Clemencia from Philippine looks great in the khaki’s woolen coat. Before she was discharged, she and her daughter shook hands with Dr. Niu Lizhi, president of Fuda Cancer Hospital in farewell. She said gratefully, “I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Dr. Niu, without whom I might be still tortured by cancer...” Liu Hongyun, head of the nursing group of third ward found it even harder to say goodbye to them. She embraced them tightly and sent her best wishes. The scene was really moving.

A photo of the patient (in the middle) and medical workers

Clemencia is 69 years old this year. She told the reporter that she had always been in good health until July 2010 when she found a mass in the right lower neck. She received examination at a local hospital and was found to have right undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Her condition showed no remission after operation and daily treatment. Later on, a fellow townsman told her that Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital in China has been delivering good therapeutic effects for patients and many people have sought treatment over there. Clemecia decided to give it a try for fear that her condition would aggravate.

In September 2010, she headed for Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital with her daughter. She was surprised to learn that medical workers at FUDA should have arranged airport pick-up service for them. Clemecia said, “FUDA has been very considerate in taking care of foreign patients.”

With the assistance of medical workers at FUDA, Clemencia went through admission formalities in no time. Patient completed relevant examinations after admission. The admitting diagnosis was “multiple solid masses are detected in right neck, which were considered to be enlarged lymph nodes; nasopharyngeal carcinoma with lymph node metastases in right neck; right thyroid nodule.” The expert medical team led by Dr. Niu Lizhi discussed and finalized the treatment plan as argon-helium cryosurgery for her on the basis of the examination result.

Dr. Niu Lizhi introduced that Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital became the first hospital in mainland China to have introduced argon-helium cryosurgery since its initiation in 2001. The biggest advantages of argon-helium cryosurgery lie in its complete destruction of tumor, prevention of tumor metastases, painless treatment process and exemption of body trauma.

Clemencia showed great satisfaction to the treatment plan and her willingness to cooperate with treatment.

On September 15, 2010, Clemencia underwent argon-helium cryosurgery at Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital. She felt much better after the procedure. She also underwent two cycles of interventional chemotherapy on October 12 and November 1 respectively. She showed improved condition and was discharged.

Later, Clemencia underwent another three cycles of interventional chemotherapy at Fuda Cancer Hospital on December 2010, January 2011, and February 2011 respectively.

After she went back to Philippine, Clemencia received many times of examinations at local hospital and no evidence of tumor recurrence was ever found. Some of her friends were so surprised to see her in such good condition, saying, “You look so energetic and doesn’t look like a cancer patient at all”. Clemecia was really glad to hear that. She said her condition has improved significantly and she is totally fit after treatment at Fuda Cancer Hospital.

In December 2015, Clemencia come back to FUDA once again for re-examination and DC-CIK immunotherapy. She told the reporter that she now has good quality of sleep and good spirit every day. And she has resumed her living habit before she got sick. She takes a walk every day as walking is her favorite sport. She once again expressed her thanks to medical workers at FUDA for helping her regain a healthy life.

A photo of (from left to right) the patient’s daughter, the patient, Liu Hongyun, head of the nursing group of third ward, the patient’s husband (during hospitalization)

A photo of (from left to right) the patient, patient’s daughter, Liu Hongyun, head of the nursing group of third ward on December 12, 2015

A photo of (from Left to right) the patient, patient’s daughter, Liu Hongyun, head of nursing group of third ward on December 12, 2015

TIPS：

Cryosurgical Ablation (CSA)

As a new treatment for cancer, cryosurgery has been approved by the United States FDA (Food and Drug Administration in 1998 and China FDA in 1999 respectively. China has been taking a lead in the world both in terms of cryosurgery cases and treated types of cancer. Since the introduction of cryosurgery in 2000, Fuda Cancer Hospital has carried out 5,000 cases of cryosurgery for 34 types of cancer, taking a leading position both at home and abroad.

Principle

Cryosurgery is an important ablation technique for tumors. The fundamental principle of cryosurgery is as follows. The temperature of cancerous tissue falls to below -160℃rapidly and then raises to normal temperature. The process can lead to dehydration and rupture of cancer cells or destruction of small tumor blood vessels that would lead to tumor cell death. Dead cancerous tissues in situ after cryosurgery can elicits an immunologic reaction as antigens; cancer cells after cryosurgery are more sensitive to chemotherapy or cryosurgery, hence the effectiveness of chemotherapy or radiotherapy is enhanced.

Cryosurgery can be carried out during open surgery, under the guidance of endoscopy or through percutaneous puncture, among percutaneous cryosurgery is most commonly used.

Advantages

1. Cryosurgery is a localized medical procedure. It can be used as the sole means of cancer treatment or it can be combined with other conventional treatment techniques such as surgical operation, chemotherapy, radiotherapy.

2. Combining cryosurgery with excision can be advantageous since freezing the tumor before excision minimizes the risk of spreading the cancerous cells during excision.

3. In addition to sparing healthy tissue, cryosurgery is advantageous because it is not dose-limited can be repeated as necessary in order to destroy all cancerous tissue.

4. In situations where the tumor is not removed after freezing, especially percutaneous cryosurgery, operative blood loss is small and post-surgical discomfort is minimized.

5. Cryoprobes are relatively small (generally in the range of 24 mm in diameter) and therefore they may be used in minimally invasive surgical procedures.

6. There are no major side effects which are commonly found in chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

7. Cryosurgery is adaptable for treatment of tumor close to large vessel which cannot be removed by operation.

8. Cryosurgery can treat small as well as large tumors, and solitary as well as multiple tumors.

9. Cryosurgery not only destroys neoplasms locally, but it also elicits an immunologic reaction (cryoimmunologic reaction) against cancer.

10. It produces a synergy effect to combine cryosurgery with radiotherapy or chemotherapy.

11. There is evidence that the recurrence rate of cancer after cryosurgery is lower than that of operation.

Indications:

Nearly all parenchymal cancers are prime candidates for cryoablation. They include liver cancer, ling cancer, kidney cancer, ovarian cancer, pharyngeal cancer, testicular cancer, uterine tumor, vaginal cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, sarcoma and other benign or malignant lesions of bone, prostate cancer, skin cancer and melanoma, head and neck cancer and soft tissue tumor of various kinds and etc. In addition, cryosurgery can be an effective treatment for retinoblastoma, skin basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinomas, actinic keratosis and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

The Story of Zhang Jinmei and her mother

Zhang Jinmei and her mother, two liver cancer survivors from Vietnam, returned to Fuda Cancer Hospital for re-examination together. In the morning of May 13, 2016, they expressed their appreciation to medical staffs at Fuda Cancer Hospitaln before their discharge.

Four out of the eight family members have been diagnosed with liver cancer

Hepatitis B virus infection and hepatitis C virus infection can significantly increase the incidence of liver cancer. Vietnam is one of the countries with high incidence of hepatitis. Vietnamese media reported that the number of hepatitis B virus carriers account for more than 10% of the national population and the number of hepatitis C virus carriers account for 0.4%-4.1% of the national population.

Zhang Jinmei, 46 years old, is from Ho Chi Minh City. She was born in a family with a medical history of hepatitis B. In the past few years, four out of the eight family members have been diagnosed with liver cancer. Her fourth brother passed away not long after his advanced liver cancer diagnosis. Her elder brother is receiving treatment in Europe and is currently in stable condition. In June 2012, Zhang Jinmei was found to have primary hepatic carcinoma during her physical examination at a local hospital. From July 2012 to January 2014, she underwent three cycles of TACE (transcatheter arterial chemoembolization) at a local hospital. However, the tumor did not shrink instead it grew bigger. Her doctor in Vietnam suggested her to do operation but she refused.

In order to seek more appropriate treatment methods, Zhang Jinmei’s elder sister found on the Internet that Fuda Cancer Hospital offers minimally invasive treatments for cancer, which have attracted patients from dozens of countries.

On May 9, 2014, Zhang Jinmei was admitted into Fuda Cancer Hospital. After completed relevant examinations, she underwent interventional chemotherapy and brachytherapy. The procedures went smoothly.

The mother and daughter both choose Fuda Cancer Hospital for cancer treatment

On May 26, 2014, Zhang Jinmei came to Guangzhou again with her 74-year-old mom who was also suffering from liver cancer.

Zhang Jinmei recalled, “After my liver cancer diagnosis in 2012, my mom was also diagnosed with liver cancer several months later. My mom has undergone various treatments at a local hospital but none of them showed good therapeutic effect. That’s why my brother and I suggested her to do treatment here.”

Zhang Jinmei’s mom said, “To be honest, I took a skeptical attitude towards the treatments offered here upon my admission. But soon, I found that my worries are really unnecessary. My doctors are very experienced and made the treatment plan for me after I completed relevant examinations. ”

On May 29, 2014, Zhang Jinmei’s mother underwent argon-helium cryosurgery. The procedure went smoothly and her cancer showed remission.

In May 2014, Zhang Jinmei was found to have lung metastases during her re-examination in Vietnam. Then, she made another trip to Fuda Cancer Hospital. Zhang Jinmei underwent three times of cryosurgery on liver tumors and one time of cryosurgery on left lung tumor from August 2014 to June 2015. She has had good postoperative recovery.

On May 9, 2015, Zhang Jinmei and her mother returned to Fuda Cancer Hospital for re-examination. The examination result of Ms. Zhang’s mother showed no tumor recurrence while hers showed residual active lesions in the left lower lung. Then, Zhang Jinmie received another cycle of cryosurgery.

To give a thumb-up to the doctors for their patience, care and sincerity

“I would like to thank chief physician Wang Jiannan, attending doctor Zhou Zhanchun, resident doctor Zhu Song, and resident doctor Lin Yuguo for answering our questions patiently. We are also very touched that Chief president Xu Kecheng also took time off from his busy schedule to visit us.”

“It’s been very difficult for my family in the past two years. All my families are hepatitis B virus carriers. My elder son and youngest daughter are both suffering from liver cancer and my fourth son also died of liver cancer. But now we are fortunate to have the encouragement from the medical staffs at FUDA, who always cheer us up whenever they saw us. I feel that I’m not only a cancer patient but also a family member of theirs. They can understand our sense of helplessness and make us feel the warmth from families.” Ms. Zhang’s mother said.


Infection of hepatitis B virus increases the risk of getting liver cancer

Li Jiangliang, director of Cancer Prevention and Rehabilitation Center of Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital noted malignant cancer is a major killer in the world while liver cancer is also a major disease that is posing threat to people’s life in China. In the fight against liver cancer, the premise of treatment is prevention, which could minimize the occurrence rate of liver cancer, and improve the early diagnostic rate of liver cancer,, improve the curative effect of cancer treatment and prolong the lifespan of the nationals.

Notably, infection of hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus will significantly increase the occurrence of liver cancer. The risk of getting liver cancer among hepatitis B virus carriers is 15 to 20 times higher than that among healthy people. Therefore, proper use of hepatitis B vaccine is an effective means to lower the risk of getting liver cancer. Not only baby child should receive hepatitis B vaccine injection but also adults who haven’t received the injection or who have received the injection but showed hepatitis B antibody negative. Apart from hepatitis B vaccine injection, other routes of transmission should also be severed, including receiving injection, acupuncture or oral treatment in unregulated medical institutions.

Expert profile:

Dr. Li Jiangliang was graduated from Norman Bethune Health Science Center of Jilin University in 1999. He obtained his master degree of medical immunology at Institute of Virology, China Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2005. He obtained his Doctoral Degree of Molecular Chemistry and Molecular Biology at Peking Union Medical College. Served as a research assistant at the Medical School of the Chinese University of Hong Kong from 2009 to 2010, he currently serves as the director of Cancer Prevention and Rehabilitation Center of Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital.

Mo Xiaofeng's Story

Mo Xiaofeng is a 16-year-old girl from Shangkeng Village, Huaiji County, Guangdong Province. After one cycle of chemotherapy, Xiaofeng seemed to be okay except abdominal distension after meal and edema in ankles. Xiaofeng, a top student at school, often asked his father, “when can I go back to school?”

Her parents were very worried about Xiaofeng as there was a “bomb” that might explode at any time in her body. Her parents had been consoling her that she would recover and go back to school soon instead of telling her the diagnosis and the severity of the disease. They had been under huge mental pressure but had to pretend nothing happened.

Xiaofeng’s story can be traced back to March 2009 when she stumbled on a mass in middle to upper abdomen. According to biopsy, she was diagnosed with solid pseudopapillary neoplasm of the pancreas (SPN), a rare exocrine tumor of pancreas. It is known to all that pancreatic cancer is called the King of Cancer, let alone such a rare pancreatic tumor. The couple was hit by the blow of fate. Xiaofeng underwent operation.

 

In May 2014, Xiaofeng had such symptoms as abdominal distension, upper abdominal pain, edema in ankle and fever. These symptoms aggravated day by day. Xiaofeng’s father brought her to Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center for examination, which showed metastases were found as spleen enlarged significantly and multiple masses were found in liver.

Xiaofeng’s father brought her to Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital as the last resort in June 2014. Xiaofeng’s symptoms relieved significantly after she underwent interventional embolization, cryosurgery and chemoablation therapy.

 

While medical workers were making further treatment plan, Xiaofeng was discharged.

 

Doctor Huang Zhifeng, Xiaofeng’s chief doctor told Xiaofeng’s story to President Xu. He remembered that the 16-year-old girl had been addressing him “Grandpa Xu” and told him to strike a balance between work and life when he was making rounds every day. Xu Kecheng was wondered why she discharged against medical advice when it was the best time for treatment.

 

Xu Kecheng and Huang Zhifeng drove over 3 hours to see Xiaofeng in October 18. Xiaofeng’s home was located in a small hill of Shikeng Village. Xioafeng was teaching her two little brothers at home. Her mother rushed home from the fields to welcome him. It was until then did Xu Kecheng knew why Xiaofeng discharged against doctor’s medical advice.

Xiaofeng’s parents are diligent and honest farmers. They only have meager income from the crops and from odd jobs. There are elderly parents, five children in her family. Xiaofeng is the third children; her youngest brother was just enrolled into primary school and the eldest sister was in her third year in high school. Though Xiaofeng’s parents are farmers, they knew very well the importance of education. Hence, they have sent their children to school though they are not well-off. The five children have been very sensible, especially Xiaofeng. She studied very hard and kept among the ten top students in her grade every year.

Prof. Xu Kecheng(R1), Doctor Huang Zhifeng visited Mo Xiaofeng at her home(L3). Mo Xiaofeng’s father (L1) 

However, Mo Xiaofeng’s education was finished in 2009 when she was diagnosed with cancer. As her classmates were preparing for senior high school entrance examination, Xiaofeng had to stay in the hospital bed.

The parents were caught unprepared by Xiaofeng’s disease. They were under huge mental pressure as they were worried about her disease but had to pretend nothing happened. The financial burden had also become worse. The family’s already meager income could barely support their tuition fee and daily expenses, let alone Xiaofeng’s medical expenses. What should they do?

The couple had no way out but to reduce their daily expense to the minimum and borrow money from relatives in order to raise money for Xiaofeng’s operation. However, things did not work out. The things that they worried about the most finally happened five years later. Even if Fuda has reduced unnecessary treatments and examinations, the medical expenses still stood at 80,000RMB. The family had no way out but to bring Xiaofeng back home as they did not have enough money for her treatment. The family was reduced to despair again. As Xiaofeng knew nothing about her disease, she often asked her father when she could go back to school. His father just told her there was something wrong in her body but she would recover soon as he could not bear to tell her that she might never be able to go back to school again.

As her condition was deteriorating and her frequent visit to hospital, Xiaofeng finally learned her condition and she stopped asking father when she could go back to school.

Xu Kecheng was saddened to learn the news. It suddenly dawned on him that Xu Kecheng Health Care Studio that was established by Civilization Office of Tianhe District Committee in June 2014 has helped two impoverished cancer patients, namely Han Bingbing and Luo Caizhi. He wanted to make Mo Xiaofeng the third beneficiary of the studio. Though the tumor was located in pancreas, it was different from common pancreatic cancer as it has special features. If given appropriate treatment, Xiaofeng can coexist with tumor for a long time and gain a better quality of life.

 

Under such circumstances, Xu Kecheng called for the society to raise money for Mo Xiaofeng. Though a total of 30,000RMB was raised, it was still fall far short of the expected medical expenses that stood at 180,000RMB. 

Mo Xiaofeng was fetched back to Fuda Cancer Hospital in order not to delay her treatment. Xiaofeng’s tumor shrank after she underwent interventional therapy, argon-helium cryosurgery, and percutaneous ethanol injection therapy, Now, Xiaofeng can walk as a normal person. She has regained a new life with the help of Xu Kecheng and people from all walks of life.

Rena’s story Breast Cancer- New Zealand

In early 2005, the pharmacist named Rena from New Zealand presented to Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital, seeking for further treatment of breast cancer with lymph node metastasis. She was recommended by Doctors from Auckland to be treated surgically, but she refused to do surgical resection of the breast because she was already 46 years old but still single. 

When she learned Fuda Cancer Hospital from the Internet, she decided to seek for treatments in Guangzhou. Upon admission, she made several requirements. First of all, the hospital shall keep her disease absolutely confidential; secondly, she strongly refused to undergo surgery; thirdly, it shall conserve the integrity of her breast. Fuda medical team carried out percutaneous cryosurgery and axillary lymph node dissection, through which her breast had been kept intact. 

In May 2006, Professor Xu Kecheng was invited to give a lecture in New Zealand, accompanied by the fully recovered enthusiastic pharmacist. Whenever professor Xu concluded his speech, she took the initiative to go onstage to share her cancer and treatment experience in China without scruples. She loosened her coat, exposing her breast and said, "My wish is to tell breast cancer patients, there are other better ways to treat breast cancer except for surgical resection!”

Rena was on the public lecture 

Rena said, “Look! How beautiful my breasts are!” 

Rena

Breast cancer

Female, 46 years old, New Zealand. She was diagnosed with breast cancer, but she refused to undergo surgical resection, so she presented to Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital for percutaneous cryosurgery and axillary lymph node dissection, through which her breast had been kept intact.

Treatment experience

Surgical resection is the preferred treatment for breast cancer. In recent years, with the development of ablation and imaging techniques, non-surgical tumor ablation has been increasingly used in breast cancer treatment, among which ultrasound or MR-guided percutaneous cryoablation for breast cancer has made great progress.

The rationalities of cryotherapy for breast cancer can be listed as follows: (a) Breast cancer is a systemic disease, patient’s long-term survival or "clinical cure" not only depends on the effect of local tumor removal, but also on cancer cells elimination, so the treatment effects of surgical resection and cryoablation for local tumors are same; (2) cryosurgery can "freeze" cancer cells to release tumor antigens that stimulate the body to produce anti-tumor immunity; (3) cryotherapy is punctured by fine needle, which can keep the breast intact.

Treatment Team

Fuda Breast Cancer Treatment Treatment

Li Chaolong   Professor
Niu Lizhi   M.D.
Hu Yong   Director
Li Hongmei    Doctor
Chen Zhixian  Doctor
Xing Yanli     Doctor