"Director Hui, I have to ask you to save me again this time!" Recently, Director Hui Yu of the Cardiothoracic Surgery Department at Guangzhou General Hospital of Qianhai Life Insurance received a request for help from his former patient, Aunt Zhang (pseudonym).
Originally, in November last year, Aunt Zhang, who unfortunately suffered from lung cancer, was on the brink of death. Director Hui Yu led a team to carry out targeted and radiation therapy for her based on genetic testing results, successfully pulling her back from the brink of death.
After half a year, due to new developments in her condition, she once again approached Director Huiyu.

Review: After seeking medical attention, she was on the brink of death at one point

Aunt Zhang, 57 years old, had an unexplained fever in July 2023 and received repeated anti infection treatment at a local hospital, which was ineffective; Subsequently, due to the recurrence of her condition, Aunt Zhang sought medical attention at multiple local hospitals, all of which suspected lung cancer. However, she was unable to obtain a pathological diagnosis and could not be diagnosed. After learning that Director Hui Yu of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery in our hospital has rich experience in the treatment of lung tumors, Aunt Zhang, whose condition is getting worse, traveled thousands of miles to find Director Hui Yu in order to seek further treatment.

Upon admission, a huge mass was found in the lower lobe of the left lung

"I remember she was extremely weak at the time, even in a state of near death, with the possibility of death at any moment." Recalling the scene of seeing Aunt Zhang at that time, Director Hui Yu vividly remembered. Due to repeated high fever for four months, Aunt Zhang suffered from severe anemia, facial features, systemic edema, electrolyte disorders, left pleural effusion, and laboratory tests such as hemoglobin and fibrinogen reported critical values.
Looking at Aunt Zhang’s PET-CT and pathological examination results, Director Hui Yu couldn’t help but take a deep breath. Aunt Zhang is suffering from poorly differentiated cancer, with extremely high malignancy and the worst prognosis!

After treatment, the mass in the lower lobe of the left lung significantly decreased

Fortunately, after nearly two months of careful treatment and meticulous care by the cardiothoracic surgery medical team, Aunt Zhang’s condition significantly improved, her lung tumor shrank, anemia, hypoalbuminemia, and electrolyte disorders were corrected, and she was discharged in December 2023.

They won another battle of life

However, fate seems to have not spared this strong old man.
After returning to her hometown for half a year of rest, Aunt Zhang was found to have developed a lung tumor during a follow-up examination. "The first time I thought of Director Huiyu, the last time he saved my life, so when the doctor said there was a change, I didn’t even have to think about it. I came from Hebei to find Director Huiyu immediately," she said
Arriving at Qianhai Life Insurance Guangzhou General Hospital again, Aunt Zhang went from being passive and hopeless to now full of confidence, because what came into view were still these familiar and heartwarming doctors and nurses.
Regarding Aunt Zhang’s situation, Director Huiyu led a team of physicians to carefully analyze her condition and discuss treatment plans from multiple perspectives. Due to the progression of Aunt Zhang’s lung disease compared to before, it was considered that chemotherapy combined with targeted therapy could not be performed regularly. After full communication with the patient and their family, Director Hui Yu decided to undergo dual needle cryoablation therapy for lung tumors.

Director Hui Yu is currently conducting CT positioning

In April 2024, Director Hui Yu performed dual needle cryoablation therapy for Aunt Zhang’s lung tumor under CT guidance. This is the first case of cryoablation treatment for lung cancer in our hospital. This treatment requires local anesthesia and does not require surgery. Only under CT guidance, the ablation needle is accurately inserted into the tumor body through skin, and then argon gas is injected into the tumor to quickly cool down and form ice balls. Then, the tumor cells are destroyed to achieve the treatment goal.

Freezing tumor tissue through cryoablation

A month later, a follow-up chest enhanced CT scan revealed that the majority of the tumor had liquefied and necrotic lesions, with good ablation results. In the battle against the disease, they won again!
"I don’t have much worry this time, and I won’t be as desperate as last time because your professionalism and patience have given me a great sense of security and trust." After the surgery, Aunt Zhang felt no discomfort and could move around independently.

Dr. Haihai’s Science Popularization Time

01 What is cryoablation therapy?
Cryoablation is the use of liquid nitrogen or argon gas to accurately locate the cryoablation needle in the lesion area under imaging guidance, then perform tissue freezing, and induce tumor cell damage through 2-3 cycles of freezing (-140 ℃) and thawing (20-40 ℃). It has the advantages of accurate localization, definite therapeutic effect, minimal damage, and low cost.
 

02 The principle of cryoablation treatment for tumor tissue
1. Physical killing and inactivation of tumor cells;
2. Thrombotic effect caused by microvascular constriction;
3. Low and sub low temperature environments alter the microenvironment of tumor cells, leading to tumor cell necrosis and apoptosis, and activating anti-tumor immune responses.

03 Suitable for the population of lung tumor cryoablation
1. The maximum diameter of the lesion is ≤ 3 cm, and the number of lesions after each ablation is less than 5;
2. The patient’s overall condition or important organ function cannot tolerate general anesthesia or surgical surgery;
3. There are metal grafts or important organs such as adjacent nerves and large blood vessels in the body that cannot be safely treated with radiofrequency, microwave, and other ablation methods;
4. Surgery cannot be performed due to the location of the lesion or lung function reserve, or new or recurrent lesions appear locally after surgical resection;
5. Multiple lesions in the lungs that cannot be completely removed by surgery;
6. If the lesion stabilizes or shrinks after treatment with other methods, it is necessary to consolidate the therapeutic effect through ablation treatment;
7. The patient voluntarily receives ablation treatment.

This article is reprinted from "Dingxiangyuan"

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