Symptoms are not obvious and the cancer is already advanced when detected

Mr. Tsang is a self-disciplined person who pays attention to diet and physical exercise, and rarely gets sick. However, during a swim in August 2023, he accidentally got water in his ear and felt very uncomfortable, so he went to the hospital for examination but was told that there was a lump in his right nasopharyngeal which was considered nasopharyngeal cancer. This news was tantamount to a bolt from the blue for Mr. Tsang, who was in the prime of life, and he couldn't accept it. He has always been in good health, he didn't have any discomfort before, and recently he only had an occasional foreign body sensation in his ears and nose, and he couldn't figure out how he got cancer all of a sudden.

To get a more accurate diagnosis, he traveled to Malaysia for a biopsy, which showed that he had undifferentiated non-keratinizing carcinoma stage IVa, and his condition was at an advanced stage. After the results were clarified, the local doctor recommended that he undergo concurrent chemoradiotherapy, but Mr. Tsang rejected the doctor's advice because he had another option.

Turnaround after 3 sessions of minimally invasive combination therapy

Another option for Mr. Tsang is St. Stamford Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou

Mr. Tsang had already known about St. Stamford Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou before he was diagnosed with his cancer, and he said, "A friend of mine who was suffering from cancer was treated at St. Stamford Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou, and the treatment effect was very good. The hospital has advanced minimally invasive oncology technologies that can alleviate the pain caused by treatment, and the hospital's services are also very good. Two weeks after the biopsy results came out, he went to St. Stamford Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou, accompanied by his family.

After arriving at the hospital, Mr. Tsang underwent a detailed admission examination, which showed that the nasopharyngeal malignant tumor had changed and the surrounding tissues had invaded. Combined with his previous biopsy results, the hospital's MDT expert team formulated a minimally invasive comprehensive treatment plan of transcatheter arterial infusion (TAI) + immunotherapy for him.

On September 11, 2023, Mr. Tsang underwent TAI for the first time. TAI only requires a small infusion of 2mm, and under the guidance of imaging equipment, the drug is directly perfused into the tumor site, and the local perfusion is as high as 2-80 times the drug concentration of intravenous drip, to achieve the effect of rapid killing of tumors and have little impact on other parts of the body. After the treatment, Mr. Tsang had mild side effects such as loss of appetite, but it didn’t have much impact on his life, and the doctor explained the treatment in detail, so he didn’t worry too much.

After three TAI and immunotherapy, Mr. Tsang had a follow-up CT scan which showed that the tumor lesions began to shrink. After that, Mr. Tsang underwent two more TAI, and his condition improved significantly. On May 10, 2024, PET-CT results showed that most of the tumors had lost their activity.

[September 9, 2023 tumors in both nasal cavities]

[May 10, 2024 nasal tumor shrinks, tumor loses activity]

Tears of joy, true feelings: it was this hospital that saved me

On May 11, 2024, when he heard that his condition had improved, the boulder in his heart finally landed, and he hugged Dr. Hu Ying and cried with joy. Mr. Tsang is the pillar of the family, the eldest daughter is a minor, and the youngest son is only 9 years old, and his illness has caused the family to bear great pain and pressure. The full support of his family gave him the courage to fight cancer, and he has always behaved rationally and restrained to make his family less worried. Now that he heard that his condition was improving, He finally couldn't help but express his true feelings: "Thank you for saving me!" ”

[Mr. Tsang hugged Dr. Hu Ying and cried with joy]

Mr. Tsang said that he’s very grateful to the medical staff of St. Stamford Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou for their care for him, "The service here is very meticulous, and I have received a lot of care in the hospital. Especially Dr. Hu Ying, she has always tried her best to help me, I’m very grateful to her, and we’re very friends now! ”

This time when he was admitted for treatment, his chaperone was his daughter. Mr. Tsang said, "After the minimally invasive treatment, I was able to get out of bed very quickly, and my daily life was not affected at all, and with so many enthusiastic caregivers, I didn't have to worry that my daughter couldn't take good care of me. I can take care of myself, and it's good to have my daughter by my side."

[Mr. Tsang with Dr. Hu Ying and Nurse Yuan Hongyan]

Shared experience: listen to your doctor and trust advanced minimally invasive oncology techniques

After suffering from cancer, Mr. Tsang has a new way of thinking about life, and after better organizing his life, he wants to help more cancer patients. He hopes to share his experience of fighting cancer with more people, he said: "In the process of fighting cancer, it’s very important to accept the facts that have happened, not to run away from them, and to face them with a positive attitude. Then it’s necessary to follow the doctor's instructions and cooperate with the doctor to receive treatment; As cancer patients, we can improve our physical fitness by developing better lifestyle habits and exercising moderately, and cooperate with doctors. Nowadays, treatment technology is becoming more and more advanced, and there is always hope in perseverance. ”

*Surgery, in addition to the appropriate chemotherapy and radiotherapy, are effective in treating early cancer, but certain patients in late stage of cancer may not be tolerate surgery well as they can be relatively weak. A combination of carefully planned minimally invasive therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy can effectively reduce the side effects and discomfort of treatment and may help patient get better efficacy.