A 72-year-old oncologist suffered from cancer and died a year after he went to the United States to fight cancer. His two reflections should be taken as a warning

In most cases, doctors play the role of curing diseases and saving lives, helping patients to get rid of the suffering of diseases. But at the same time, like ordinary people, they will suffer from diseases and cancers.

But because of the role of "doctor", when they face cancer, they will have different thoughts and reflections from ordinary people.

Today Xiaojiu shared with you the old man. Although he is not a clinical doctor, he graduated from a medical university and is engaged in biomedical research and cancer-related medical research.

As a medical expert, he unfortunately suffered from glandular non-small cell lung cancer, so he embarked on a difficult and tortuous road to fight cancer.

Just when he passed many hurdles and was about to be full of hope for defeating cancer, due to the emergence of drug resistance, his condition relapsed, and he finally left after one year of fighting cancer.

And he wrote about his own anti-cancer journey-"Lou Qinyuan Treats Lung Cancer in the United States", which is worthy of everyone's warning, raising everyone's vigilance against lung cancer and preventing it as soon as possible.

Source: Health News Culture Channel

1. Going to the United States to fight cancer, but there are many difficulties

01. After coughing for half a year, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and went to the United States for treatment

Since the first half of 2017, Lou Qinyuan has felt throat discomfort from time to time. He always feels that there is some phlegm in the deep trachea, and he has to cough hard to feel better . But Lou Qinyuan always felt that it was not a big problem, so he didn't go to the hospital.

At the end of July and early August, the cough intensified, the amount of sputum increased, and the throat often felt itchy.

In mid-October, I was forced by a doctor friend to do a CT scan, which showed that the fluid in the left lung increased, the hilar shadow expanded, and the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) exceeded the normal index by more than 6 times. After further testing, he was diagnosed with non-small cell adenocarcinoma of the lung.

But he hasn't given up hope of a cure. In November, he went to Anderson Cancer Center, the best cancer center in the world, to determine the treatment plan, using Keytruda (the first-line antibody anticancer drug approved by the US FDA in recent years, K drug) treatment plan.

02. I used the "life-saving magic medicine", but was told that there were only 3 months left

After understanding, Lou Qinyuan regards drug K as a life-saving medicine because it has a good effect on tumors expressing PD-L1.

But Lou Qinyuan overlooked one point, that is the side effects of the medicine. During the treatment, Lou Qinyuan developed interstitial pneumonia, and his physical condition became very bad . He had difficulty breathing, was extremely weak, and lost 10 kg in weight at one point.

The doctor told him that without effective treatment, Lou Qinyuan's life expectancy is only 3 months.

03. Take the risk of reducing medicine, just to participate in clinical trials

In desperation, Lou Qinyuan reduced his medication without authorization, suspended the treatment of interstitial pneumonia, and planned to go to Houston to participate in the LOXO-292 clinical trial to seek new opportunities for survival.

After arriving at the destination, the doctor arranged a whole-brain MRI examination for Lou Qinyuan. But Lou Qinyuan's body was already hard enough to support him to lie flat, and after lying down, his chest was severely blocked. After finally being able to sit up, Lou Qinyuan coughed violently until his eyes turned black, as if he wanted to die.

In the end Lou Qinyuan still failed. Because the doctor believes that LOXO-292 is likely to aggravate the interstitial pneumonia in his body, he can only continue to receive cabozantinib treatment.

04. Almost failed, and finally successfully participated in the experiment

In this way, Lou Qinyuan ushered in his 70th birthday. Perhaps in response to the saying, "Mountains are heavy and rivers are full of doubts, there is no way out, and there is another village." After treatment, Lou Qinyuan's interstitial pneumonia recovered. At this time, under the doctor's advice, he applied for clinical trials again.

This time he decided to find another way, abandoning LOXO-292, but chose to apply to participate in the clinical trial of Blu-667. This time, Lou Qinyuan succeeded. On March 28, 2018, Lou Qinyuan took the first blue capsule and entered the Phase I clinical trial of Blu-667.

05. Cough out tumor tissue and recover gradually

Although the process was bumpy, Lou Qinyuan is gradually recovering:

• In the first month of treatment, the symptoms recurred in April 2018;
• In May, the tumor tissue was coughed up, and the symptoms of chest tightness improved, and I was able to sleep on my back;
• In June, CEA (a biomarker of malignancy) dropped to the normal range;
• In July, CT showed that the tumor shrunk by half, and the treatment effect was remarkable;
• In August, pericardial effusion and pericardial window surgery were carried out, and Lou Qinyuan's cough symptoms completely disappeared after the operation;
• In September, my physical fitness gradually became normal, and my walking was no longer hindered, and I was able to do jogging exercises.

But just when this difficult anti-cancer experience was about to usher in hope, in November, Lou Qinyuan's condition began to relapse again, and the tumor continued to grow, which meant that drug resistance had developed and the drug needed to be stopped . After that, he became bedridden, the cancer cells metastasized, and finally died in the United States on February 15, 2019.

2. "It would be great if we could pay attention to the symptoms earlier"

Mr. Lou Qinyuan's tenacious fight against cancer deserves the admiration of Lou Qinyuan. With his excellent medical knowledge, he tried to repel cancer. Although he failed in the end, the reflection he left behind is worthy of every Lou Qinyuan. learn a lesson.

1. Ignore the symptoms of early lung cancer

Lou QinyuanBefore he was diagnosed with lung cancer, he had coughed for more than half a year, but he never paid attention to it. During the period, his friends urged him to go for a checkup, but he didn't go. Instead, he chose to use strengthening exercises to strengthen the lungs and cure the cough.

2. Being overconfident about your body

At the same time, he believes that he is a strong and healthy person who has been actively participating in exercise and does not smoke or drink, so it is impossible to have a relationship with lung cancer . But it was this carelessness and self-confidence that made him lose the opportunity to diagnose lung cancer early.

And if Mr. Lou could get an early diagnosis and treatment, perhaps the tragedy that followed would not have happened.

3. How much do you know about the early symptoms of lung cancer?

If lung cancer can be detected early, how high is the chance of cure?

Generally speaking, the cure rate of early lung cancer, especially the tumors <1cm, is more than 90% after standardized surgical treatment ; if the tumor grows to 3-5cm, the cure rate is about 70%, and the later the disease, the lower the cure rate . It can be seen how important early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer is.

However, many people choose to ignore the early symptoms of lung cancer, which eventually leads to the discovery of lung cancer at an advanced stage, which affects the final curative effect.

What are the early manifestations of lung cancer?

Generally speaking, the first symptom of more than 50% of lung cancer patients is cough . It is different from coughs caused by common colds. It is an irritating dry cough with no sputum. Some patients may have hemoptysis, mostly bloody sputum or bloody sputum .

Professor Li Junling, Chief Physician of the Department of Internal Medicine, Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences reminds: If a person who smokes for a long time has a persistent dry cough, and conventional treatment for more than 2 weeks has no effect; or has a history of chronic respiratory diseases, inexplicably persistent cough, or cough If the nature changes, you must be alert to lung cancer, and it is recommended to seek medical examination in time.

In addition to cough, more common symptoms of lung cancer include expectoration, bloody sputum, obstructed breathing, chest pain, hoarseness, unexplained fatigue, and weight loss .

In view of the high incidence of lung cancer, it is best for everyone to increase awareness of prevention, especially to quit smoking as soon as possible, reduce fried cooking, use range hoods, exercise actively, work regularly, eat a balanced diet, and maintain a good mood.

Of course, the most effective way is to check regularly for high-risk groups:

① Family history of lung cancer

② Smoking ≥ 20 packs/year, smoking cessation < 15 years

③Pulmonary diseases such as tuberculosis and COPD

④ There is a history of occupational exposure, such as exposure to asbestos, uranium and other carcinogens

⑤ Long-term exposure to second-hand smoke

The above-mentioned high-risk groups of lung cancer should be highly vigilant against lung cancer. It is recommended to perform regular low-dose spiral CT, and then intervene according to the examination results.

Although lung cancer is scary, it is preventable and curable. If it can be detected and treated early, the treatment effect is still good. Therefore, people with a high risk of lung cancer must be vigilant and do a good job of prevention, so as to avoid being found by it.

References:

[1] "Lou Qinyuan Treats Lung Cancer in the United States (Full Text)". Health News Culture Channel. 2018-10-31

[2] "The first symptom of more than half of lung cancer patients is cough, don't wait until the late stage to see a doctor". Health Times. 2020-01-13

[3] "The founder of Shell died of lung cancer at the age of 50! These inconspicuous early symptoms must be paid attention to... ". Popular Science China. 2021-05-21

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