They basically treat patients with the "three highs" of lung cancer: old age, high risk, and high difficulty in treatment.
As a young "leader" of the Respiratory Medicine Department of Hainan Cancer Hospital and an expert of the Respiratory Medicine Department of Hainan Chengmei Hospital, Dong Wen has created one treatment miracle after another in the field of diagnosis and treatment of advanced lung cancer by leading his team to innovate continuously and create a model for the whole process of management of lung cancer patients.
Comprehensive management，Resolving the problem of drug resistance
Almost all tumors are capable to evade drug attacks through immune escape. Due to its lengthy treatment duration and complex medication, advanced lung cancer is more likely to developing drug resistance. Once drug resistance occurs in the tumor, it often poses a disastrous threat to the patients health.
"We will create a comprehensive medication management plan for every newly diagnosed patient. And we will also conduct a systematic and comprehensive assessment of the medications to be used in each stage and possible drug resistance issues that may arise.” Dong Wen explained that in order to prevent a situation where there are "no more treatment options" after drug resistance occurs, they often "leave room" in the treatment of late-stage lung cancer patients.
They usually develop individualized treatment plans in collaboration with the patients condition, enabling "stepwise" medication management.
They generally make adequate preparations for special drug-resistant cases. One approach is to adopt biopsy techniques to find new therapeutic targets. Alternatively, they will adopt particle implantation and tracheoscopic local ablation techniques to control tumor progression.
Mr. Yang, 58 years old, diagnosed with advanced lung adenocarcinoma and secondary malignant tumor in mediastinal lymph nodes 4 years ago, was treated with CT-guided lung tumor particle implantation at the beginning of 2022 after undergoing immunotherapy and targeted therapy for recurring conditions. For more than 2 years, Mr. Yangs condition has been well controlled.
Combination therapy to alleviate co-infections
Many late-stage lung cancer cases are often associated with smoking and commonly have comorbidities such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other lung inflammations. For lung cancer patients, lung co-infection is undoubtedly adding insult to injury, not only affecting the healthy life, but also jeopardizing the safety of life.
“Treating lung infections is precisely the specialty of respiratory medicine.” Dong Wen is very confident in his team. Although they are young, they have been working in the field of respiratory medicine for a long time, accumulating rich experience and making significant achievements.
For lung cancer patients with concurrent lung infections, they have developed a strict and standardized comprehensive treatment protocol including protocol covers diagnosis, medication, interventional therapy, and daily care, implementing a closed-loop approach for comprehensive and continuous management of the patients throughout their treatment journey.
Six years ago, Mr. Xu, who was 65 years old at the time, underwent treatment for advanced lung cancer at another hospital. Soon after, due to treatment and physical reasons, Mr. Xu developed interstitial lung disease and multiple lung infections including pulmonary edema, which was once life-threatening.
Mr. Xu was transferred to the Respiratory Medicine Department of Hainan Cancer Hospital for treatment, and after comprehensive treatment including respiratory support and anti-infection, his condition was improved significantly. Until today, Mr. Xu is in stable health.
Lung infections can also lead to misdiagnosis. A lung cancer patient was found to have "shadows" on his lungs after a period of treatment, and a specialist at an outside hospital initially diagnosed it as "recurrence of lung cancer".
This patient turned to Dong Wen for further diagnosis. After comprehensively evaluating the patients examination results and physical condition, Dong Wen recommended him to accept "anti-inflammatory treatment". The patient was re-examined 3 months later and the lung "shadow" had disappeared.
Technological innovation has repeatedly created miracles in saving lives
In four years, with more than a dozen Hainan "first" diagnosis and treatment technology, Dong Wen has become the “big idol” of innovation among local counterparts.
The biggest threat to patients with advanced lung cancer is the progression of the tumor blocking the trachea, the airway of life.
Dong Wen introduced that tumors within the trachea often grow in a disorderly and irregular manner. Thus, conventional treatment techniques are almost useless sometimes.
Mr. Lis lung cancer recurred after surgery and a metal-coated stent was placed because the tumor was compressing the trachea. Later, Mr. Li experienced breathing difficulties again, which turned out to be the metal stent was squashed by the tumor, while the tumor grew along the trachea, blocking the airway severely. Many hospitals can do nothing about it.
Mr. Li found Dong Wen for treatment, and Dong Wen tailored a "Y-shaped" silicone stent with a length of more than 10 centimeters according to the patients condition, protecting the whole trachea like a tunnel casting and opening the airway of life for Mr. Li.
Due to lung metastasis from cervical cancer, Ms Wangs tumor completely blocked her left lung trachea, and most of the middle part of her right lung trachea was also blocked, the 4 lobes of the 5 of the whole lung struck, only one is left working. The situation is very critical, a single mouthful of thick sputum can lead to lobar obstruction and trigger suffocation, resulting in death for the patient.
Relying on the advanced respiratory endoscopy "super workstation" introduced by the hospital, Dong Wen used the "trap" freezing, electric knife, argon knife jointly in operation, gradually divided the tumor little by little from the tracheal lumen like ants moving. It took 2 hours to successfully open all the blocked airways.
Each technological innovation not only marks the progress of Dong Wens teams diagnostic and treatment techniques, providing patients with more and better treatment options, but also providing quality safety for life.
Introduction of the expert
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1. Hainan Cancer Hospital Combined treatment to solve the "obstruction" of breathing
2. Painless tracheoscopic diagnosis and treatment is really comfortable
3. The first case of rigid tracheoscopic Y-shaped stent implantation in Hainan was implemented in our hospital
Text from Liang Shan and picture(s) from Li Hongyi