The oldest (89 year-old) pancreatic cancer patient’s Nanoknife surgery was completed at FUDA

In the morning of September 13, China News Service, Nanfang Daily, Yangcheng Evening News, Southern Metropolis Daily and New Express etc. media reporters gathered at Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital for reporting the recent first case of an 89-year old pancreatic cancer patient’s Nanoknife surgery in the world. It’s the oldest patient around the world that accepted Nanoknife surgery. The success of this operation marks the great progress and breakthrough in Nanoknife therapy for pancreatic cancer.

It’s learned that pancreatic cancer is the most malignant tumor of digestive system. And its morbidity is on the rise. In 2010, about 36.8 thousand people died of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cancer cause of cancer-related death in America. Its peak incidence age is between 70 to 90 years old. The incidence rate of male and female is about same.
 

At the same time, it’s a dangerous disease. Because it located in hidden position and the early symptoms are not apparent. Most patients find it in terminal stage. Less than 20% of patient can accept operation, and more than 80% of patient can’t accept it.

Now, as for pancreatic cancer, most adopt chemotherapy, but the effect is poor. The median survival time of advanced local pancreatic cancer is only 6 months. If occur metastasis, the average survival time is only 3 months. With highest death rate, pancreatic cancer is called “The king of cancer”.

However, with Nanoknife technique, prognosis of pancreatic cancer patient has been improved. Its advantage is can insert several needle electrodes to the tumor that can’t be removed by operation. It can kill cancerous cells by electrodes without damaging bile duct, pancreatic duct, vascular and intestine etc. such normal tissues apparently.

Data from research of America shows that applying NanoKnife therapy to treat advanced pancreatic cancer doubles the survival time on average. Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital has introduced this technique and applied in clinic research since 2014. It’s the first hospital introduced NanoKnife therapy and the hospital with most cases of applying NanoKnife therapy in treatment in mainland of China.

On August this year, Fuda Cancer Hospital treated an 89-year old pancreatic cancer patient from Philippines. He accepted Nanoknife therapy and the surgery was very successful. Investigation shows that the patient is the oldest patient who had Nanoknife therapy for pancreatic cancer in the world at present. The success of the surgery sets a new record in the field of medicine.
 

The patient was born in 1927. On March this year, he developed yellow skin and yellow sclera with symptoms of itching, dark urine and bad appetite etc. After having physical examination at local hospital, he was diagnosed as pancreatic cancer. On Aril this year, he had operation at local hospital. Doctor found the tumor couldn’t be cut during operation. Then, they closed the abdomen after chole enterostomy. Then the patient became worse. He lost about 4 kilogram over three months, and the pain became worse.

On August 7, he went to Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital. In the morning of August 11, chief president of Fuda Cancer Hospital Xu Kecheng organized experts to have a consultation to make treatment plan. Dr. Niu Lizhi was the surgeon performing Nanoknife surgery. After operation, the pain was relieved and his condition became better. He could get off bed on the second day after surgery. After a week, his examination shown that CAI99 (tumor marker) index dropped significantly. The effect of the surgery was remarkable. 

Dr. Niu Lizhi explained, patient had cardio-cerebral vascular disease with history of diabetes and hypertension etc, and his vessel is fragile, therefore, it’s easy to cause mass blooding during puncturing. Besides, patient’s gastrointestinal function was weak and the bile duct was surrounded by the tumor, which would cause intestine damage, biliary fistula and pancreatic fistula etc. The risk and difficulty of the surgery is so great unprecedentedly.

“Before surgery, expert teams made a detailed treatment plan through, especially in designing the puncturing route in operation thoroughly. Guided by the advanced equipment and GPRS, needles of NanoKnife (irreversible electroporation) were placed in targeted position to kill cancerous cells.”Niu Lizhi told the author.

Besides making detailed treatment plan in advance, medical team’s perfect cooperation was also important. Dr. Niu Lizhi said: “Experts of ultrasound department, CT department and cardiology department gave overall technical supports in the surgery for completing the world-class highly difficult surgery.”The surgery’s success proves the safety and validity of this technique. At the same time, it also shows that Nanoknife therapy in China has reached the world level.

Ms. Lin from Guangxi Province with Pancreatic Cancer

On August 31, 2016, the last day of summer holiday, middle school teacher Ms. Lin was so happy. She took off hospital gown and put on white shirt and red pants with bright smile. She was cheerful for her recovery, and she believed she could go back school soon. Before discharge, she was willing to take photo with chief surgery president Niu Lizhi and doctor in charge Long Xinan for saving her life.

Ms. Lin with her son, chief surgeon president Niu Lizhi (right 1) and doctor in charger Ling Xinan (left 1)

It’s no exaggeration to describe Mr. Lin’s different conditions from admission to discharge using words “quite a different person”. 

At the noon of August 11, busy nurse station became quiet at Fuda Cancer Hospital. Nurses were just like spinning tops starting to stop, the sound of footsteps broke the peace. Helped by two men, a lady was coming in with painful expression. She pressed upper abdomen and hunched over while dragging slowly… The nurse rushed up to meet her.

Middle-aged man said urgently: “Nurse, my wife has pancreatic cancer. These are CT scans and medical reports. Please help us complete admitting procedure and arrange a ward bed.”

“Ok, we will arrange for you immediately…” Nurse said and helped to hold the lady to the ward.

The lady was Ms. Lin, a middle school teacher from Guangxi. The two men were her husband and son.

Soon, ward director Qian Wei, attending doctors Shi Juanjuan and Long Xinan etc. carried out regular examination and inquired history.

Ms. Lin lying on the bed, said painfully, “On April this year, paroxysmal pain occurred in my left upper abdomen, then in left back. Once I stretch the spine or walk, the pain became worse. Squatting or hunching over will relieve it. The pain makes me eat and sleep barely. ”

Ms. Lin went to a doctor soon. She made gastroscope at local hospital and found her with chronic non-atrophic gastritis. The doctor prescribed some gastric drugs for her.

“After taking medicine for some time, the pain didn’t reduce, even became more serious. I went to large hospital in local for physical examination. When I saw the words “terminal pancreatic cancer” on the sheet of enhanced CT report, my mind was blank. That’s terrible!” Ms. Lin recalled.

In the past decade, two teachers and a family member of her school were died from pancreatic cancer. She remembered exactly that their survival time were from three months to half year.

“This devastating diagnose was a hard hit that we didn’t prepare. At that time, she was so sad. And the pain was so bad that she could hardly eat food, which made her losing a lot of weight. I was very anxious. Since that we couldn’t escape, just treat it actively.” Ms. Lin’s husband said and had a deep breath.

In mid-June, accompanied with husband, Ms. Lin admitted to local cancer hospital. They decided to give up surgery and tried to take Traditional Chinese Medicine, because surgery was hard to perform and the surgery plan was not ideal. However, Ms. Lin’s condition didn’t improve after a month. “Though I took painkillers and sleeping pills every night, the pain still tortured me and made me couldn’t sleep, which made me restless…” Seeing Ms. Lin’s signs of distress, husband was very worried.

On July, Ms. Lin learned about a new technique named “Nanoknife” in Internet by her classmate. It could treat pancreatic cancer that wrapped about vascular and nerves. And she asked several doctor friends, they all said that Nanoknife therapy for pancreatic cancer was a good choice. Therefore, they went to Guangzhou immediately and hope to have treatment at larger cancer hospital.

However, ward beds of large hospital were not enough. After waiting many days, Ms. Lin admitted to hospital finally, but doctor told her that they couldn’t arrange surgery right away and advised to have chemotherapy. For chemo was more harmful to body, Ms. Lin didn’t accept the treatment plan. Hearing that Fuda Cancer Hospital has abundant experience on Nanoknife therapy for cancer, they transferred to FUDA at once.  

Through series of physical examination, Ms. Lin’s head of pancreas was occupied cyst-solid tumor. Pancreatic cancer should be considered. There were peripancreatic and retroperitoneal multiple large lymph nodes. Part of lesion adhered to the pancreatic tumor. Lower back occurred pain, which meant that celiac plexus was compressed and invaded by the tumor…

President Niu Lizhi and medical team had a discussion on Ms. Lin’s condition and decided to conduct pancreas tumor needle biopsy, irreversible electroporation (Nanoknife therapy) and retroperitoneal block.

The operation was scheduled in the morning of August 17. Ms. Lin went to operation room with her husband and son. Her husband patted her hands, said: “Don’t worry. Have a sleep and you will be fine.”

On that morning, President Niu Lizhi and medical team’s Nanoknife ablation surgery for Ms. Lin was successful. Several days later, she had puncture and drainage by Doctor Zhang Yishi.

After having two operations, Ms. Lin didn’t have pain in abdomen and back. She finally could have a good sleep. Her appetite recovered and condition was improved. During hospitalization, Ms. Lin’s husband accompanied her all the time. After Ms. Lin’s appetite becoming better, he often cooked soups and rice paste for her. “She is malnourished. I can only cook soups and rice paste for her. I cook in different ways every day. Today is adding red dates, and tomorrow will add vegetable, shredded meat and black fungus. Once people say it’s good for health, I will cook. Just like her sentence, I am born to serve her…” Hearing husband’s word, Ms. Lin was so happy.

Abdomen and back were not painful. Ms. Lin often asked husband and son to take her out. Going out made her joyful. She straightened her back and couldn’t help slapping thighs while singing a song lightly.

Ms. Lin was no longer gaunt. She was energetic with bright eyes and smile on her face. She could chat with people who visited her happily and easily.

In the morning of August 31, Ms. Lin expressed her great gratitude to medical staff that helped her before discharging from hospital and said excitedly: “I thought my life was going to the end and I couldn’t survive for a long time. Fortunately, I met you who bring me to life! ”

A center for treating tumors & prolonging lives

Cancer is probably the most dreaded disease anyone can have. When I received my invitation to the blessing of the new wing of The Fuda Cancer Hospital in Guangzhou, China, I didn’t think twice about going and seeing for myself what the hospital has to offer particularly for cancer patients. Together with media friends, I boarded a direct flight from Manila to Guangzhou which took two hours and 25 minutes. We arrived in Guangzhou, China late in the evening. The following day, we were welcomed by Manila-based Fuda volunteer Edward Puno and his gracious wife Cindy who took us for a tour around the new wing of the Fuda Cancer Hospital. Upon entering the hospital premises, we were all so impressed with the hospital facilities. We were informed that the Fuda Cancer Hospital had dedicated a whole floor to their Filipino patients. Each room is complete with all the amenities, including a flat screen TV which has an ABS-CBN channel. “This it to make every Filipino patient at Fuda Hospital and their respective families feel at home,” explains Puno. 

I was expecting a gloomy hospital atmosphere but was pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a cheerful ambiance which was provided mainly by the elegant interiors and the ever-smiling staff, which is a big plus especially for patients who have nothing to smile about. There was no language barrier problem since the hospital made sure there were coordinators from different countries to specifically attend to the needs of their foreign patients and their families.

Because of the hospital’s high standards, we immediately inquired about the costs of treatments and hospital stay. We were told that regardless of what room patients and their families choose (there are VIP rooms which have a living room, kitchen, and extra bedroom; suite rooms; standard rooms; and rooms for four patients), the total hospital cost remains the same. Once the patient arrives, a proposed treatment plan is given to the patient or a family member. Expect no surprise or additional charges as Fuda doctors do not charge professional fees, which makes the treatment very reasonable and worth every cent.

A money changer, restaurant and coffee shop are conveniently located inside the hospital premises.              

At the helm of this state-of-the-art hospital is chief executive/president Dr. Kecheng Xu, a world-renowned specialist in oncology, gastroenterology, and hepatology. After graduation from Nanton Medical College in 1963, he had his post graduate studies at Fudan University. He was a visiting professor on hepatology and oncology at Chiba University, Japan and took further studies at the Reiter State University, Tulane University, and Johns Hopkins University in the United States. He is the incoming vice president of the International Society of Cryosurgery.

Boasting a very competent team of doctors, Fuda Cancer Hospital has for the last 10 years successfully treated thousands of domestic and international patients. It is the first hospital in China to successfully perform cryosurgery with over 8,000 cases, more than what any other hospital in the world has done. 

Dr. Franco Lugnani, president of the International Society of Cryosurgery based in Italy, has singled out Fuda Cancer Hospital to be the cryotherapy center in the Asia Pacific region for the hospital’s excellent work.

 “Cryosurgery can be done for any part of the body, from head to toe,” says Dr. Lizhi Niu, deputy chief executive of Fuda Cancer Hospital.

Performed mostly under local anesthesia, cryosurgery can be used to treat tumors that could not be removed for early or end-stage cancer. A cryosurgical (CSA) probe is inserted into the tumor and a refrigerant is passed through the probe; the temperature is raised to thaw the frozen tumor. This process is repeated two or three times to complete ablation and thawing of the whole tumor. CSA can be carried out with the help of surgery, endoscope, ultrasound or CT- guided. Percutaneous cryosurgical ablation is a minimally invasive technique with little side effects. It will not cause pain, instead it can stop pain rapidly. CSA is suitable for cancer patients with unresectable tumors or patients that cannot tolerate surgery.

“For those who are beyond surgery or other treatments, cryosurgery aims to extend survival,” he adds.

Dr. Xu explains, “After they have been treated in our hospital, more than 70 percent of these patients experience significant improvement and their survival time has been prolonged, not by months but rather by years. Many patients, including those with liver cancer and lung cancer, have lived for more than five years, with the longest survival time of nine years. Some pancreatic cancer (the “king of cancer”) patients even lived for an additional 55 months.” 

Once a cancer patient comes in, an honest assessment is given as to whether or not the patient can be treated and what he/she can expect. Dr. Mu Feng, president of North District Fuda Hospital, also adds that a routine checkup, particularly a PET CT scan, by a skilled and competent doctor is important.

As there are various approaches to treating cancer, there are also various hospitals in China doing cryosurgery. Thus, one must do an extensive research on which treatment and which hospital can best cater to our sick loved one’s needs. In this age of modern technology, cancer patients, through early detection, do have the chance to survive or, at the very least, extend their lives. The decision is theirs to make.

Nanoknife Therapy Helped Indian Pancreatic Cancer Professor Survive.

--Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital Succeed again in Treating Pancreatic Cancer with NanoKnife Therapy

Recently, Prof. Pratibha, a pancreatic cancer patient from India, told the reporter with great excitement, “NanoKnife therapy made me able to walk normally again” after she underwent NanoKnife therapy on pancreatic cancer at Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital.   

Several months ago, Prof. Pratibha was undergoing a life or death test. Back then, she looked totally different from the way she is now as she looks like a noble woman who is dignified, talkative, beautiful and smart now.

A photo of Prof. Pratibha Rajgopal (R 3), her family member and medical workers

Prof. Pratibha was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two months ago at local hospital due to discomfort in abdomen. Doctor told her family member that the chance of treatment was very low. The best chance would be about 10%. Prof. Pratibha was desperate to hear the news. She underwent one cycle of chemotherapy in local hospital, the side effects of which made her suffer a lot.

Her son, who is working in America, searched for the most renowned cancer hospital in the world online, hoping that his mother could be treated. After searching on the internet for a while, he located Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital in China. Compared with other international cancer hospitals, he believed that the argon-helium cryosurgery, iodine seeds implantation therapy and NanoKnife therapy that FUDA has can deliver good curative effects for pancreatic cancer patients. Among all the therapies, the latest treatment NanoKnife therapy that FUDA has introduced delivers remarkable curative effects for pancreatic cancer, which has become widely recognized in the world. Moreover, the concept of coexisting with cancer proposed by Professor Xu Kecheng coincides with his view of cancer.

Prof. Pratibha was admitted into Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital in the company of her sister and the other son on August 26, 2015. The medial team led by President NIu Lizhi arranged a series examinations for her on August 27. Diagnosis upon admission was Stage III T4N0M0 pancreatic cancer, II type diabetes and hypertension.

The patient together with her family members unanimously requested to receive NanoKnife therapy. In order to choose the best treatment for her, President Niu Lizhi and other experts, after discussion, decided to give her NanoKnife therapy combined with “3C+P” treatment mode. On August 28, she was given combined immunotherapy for cancer (CIC)--one therapy in the “3C+P” treatment mode--in order to improve her immunity. 

After her condition became stable, Chief President Xu Kecheng, President Niu Lizhi and other experts had a penal discussion about her further treatment, after which they decided to give her NanoKnife therapy. On August 31, the medical team led by Niu Lizhi performed NanoKnife therapy on pancreatic cancer for her. The procedure went smoothly and the patient’s postoperative recovery was great. On September 12, Prof. Pratibha was discharged and went back to India.

Prof. Pratibha said, “coming to Fuda Cancer Hospital for treatment is the best decision that i have ever made in my life and has also given me the opportunity to better know about Chinese doctors, especially such excellent medical experts as Chief President Xu Kecheng and President Niu Lizhi. Under their leadership, medical workers at Fuda have developed a harmonious relationship with patients. During my hospitalization, i am deeply touched by the comprehensive treatment i have received and also the careful nursing delivered by nurses. Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital has proven itself to be an international specialized cancer hospital.”

Three months ago, Fuda Cancer Hospital became the first to have introduced NanoKnife therapy (Irreversible Electroporation) in Mainland of China. Medical workers at Fuda have successfully performed NanoKnife therapy for over 40 pancreatic cancer and liver cancer patients, after which the curative effect was remarkable.