Lung
cancer patients and their families are always filled with anxiety during each
follow-up examination: Have the cancer cells metastasized? Is the treatment
effective? Will the disease be delayed due to missed diagnosis?
Actually, there is no need for excessive speculation and anxiety. Clinically, there are mature examination methods and efficacy evaluation standards that can accurately assess disease changes. Today, we have specially invited Professor Yang Nong, a distinguished expert from Hainan Cancer Hospital, to provide an in-depth interpretation of the key indicators for lung cancer follow-up.
Patient: I'm worried about missed diagnosis and metastasis during the follow-up examination for lung cancer. What kind of examination can provide accurate judgment?
Professor Yang Nong:
The first category is imaging examination. Chest CT is used to examine the lungs, hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes, while abdominal CT is used to examine the liver, adrenal glands, retroperitoneal lymph nodes, etc. Whole-body bone scan is used to detect signals of bone metastasis. Symptoms such as dizziness and headache, which are related to the brain, can be examined through cranial magnetic resonance imaging to detect brain metastasis.
The second category involves auxiliary examinations. If tumor markers experience a rapid and significant increase, it could be a warning sign of recurrence or metastasis, but it still needs to be confirmed through imaging. Checking liver and kidney function can indirectly indicate whether they are affected.
The third category is pathological examination. When suspicious lesions are found on imaging, a biopsy is performed to obtain tissue samples for cancer cell detection, which can confirm the diagnosis of metastasis.
It should be noted that different types of lung cancer have different focuses of metastasis, and patients need to follow medical advice in choosing examination items.
Patient: What phenomena indicate that the tumor has stopped growing during the follow-up examination?
Professor Yang Nong:
The occurrence of the following four phenomena often indicates that the tumor may have stopped growing, which also means that the current anti-tumor treatment plan is effective:
Imaging indicators are stable or improving: CT and other imaging reports show that the tumor lesion has not continued to grow, and even showed signs of shrinkage.
Reduction or disappearance of clinical symptoms: Common symptoms of lung cancer, such as cough, chest tightness, expectoration, dyspnea, and chest pain, can be significantly alleviated or even completely resolved after a period of treatment.
Tumor markers and MRD(Minimal Residual Disease) monitoring results are positive: Tumor markers such as CEA, CA153, CA125, and CA199 often significantly increase during the occurrence of cancer and decrease significantly when treatment is effective. MRD (Minimal Residual Disease)monitoring can also provide important reference - when the tumor burden is high, relevant signals can be detected in the blood, and after treatment is effective, the abundance of MRD in the blood will significantly decrease or even disappear.
The patient's physical condition has significantly improved: after the tumor stops growing or even shrinks, the patient's mental state will improve, physical strength will gradually recover, appetite will improve, weight will increase, and sleep quality will also improve accordingly. Malignant tumors have a systemic impact on the human body. When the tumor is effectively controlled, the patient's physical condition will naturally experience an overall improvement.
Patient: What should tumor patients do to prolong their survival time?
Professor Yang Nong:
1. Adhere to formal treatment and refuse to blindly follow unproven remedies.
2. Engaging in moderate exercise can enhance patients' cardiorespiratory function and physical fitness, enabling them to better combat cancer.
3. Abandon unhealthy lifestyle habits, refrain from smoking and drinking, minimize late nights, and maintain a regular sleep schedule to create better conditions for treatment and recovery.
4. Properly supplement nutrition. After treatment, patients experience significant physical depletion and require nutrition to repair their bodies and maintain immune function.
Expert Introduction
Yang Nong, Chief Physician, Doctoral Supervisor
Long-term employed experts of Hainan Cancer Hospital and Hainan Chengmei Hospital
He currently serves as Vice President of the Second People's Hospital of Hunan Province, leader of the oncology department, and head of the "Yang Nong Famous Doctor Clinic" / "Yang Nong Famous Doctor Expert Team Clinic". He is also a chief expert of the National Major Scientific and Technological Special Project, a member of the Lung Cancer Special Committee of the National Tumor Quality Control Center, the director of the Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Lung Cancer, and the director of the Hunan Provincial Respiratory Tumor Clinical Medical Research Center. He has been dedicated to precision targeted therapy for lung cancer and gastrointestinal tumors, as well as to clinical, scientific research, and teaching work related to difficult, recurrent, and drug-resistant cases for nearly 30 years.
He was honored with the title of "National Famous Doctor - Excellent Style" in the 6th edition, and has been recommended as "Annual Good Doctor" by patients across the country for 8 consecutive years, as well as being awarded the title of "First Brain Doctor - Famous Doctor". He has authored national guidelines, boasts over 500,000 followers across the internet, and has achieved over 120 million views in cancer prevention and treatment science popularization.
Medical expertise
Specialties: Precision treatment of lung cancer, breakthrough in difficult, recurrent, drug-resistant, and brain-metastatic cases; individualized and precise treatment of brain metastases from lung cancer; early diagnosis of pulmonary nodules and lung cancer; personalized and comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of pan-solid tumors; clinical trials of the latest immunotherapy/targeted therapy drugs.
With nearly 30 years of experience in precision immunotherapy for lung cancer, he has led nearly 400 phase I-III clinical trials of new anticancer drugs (including national Class 1 new drugs), and is particularly skilled in treating complex cases such as refractory, recurrent, and drug-resistant conditions, as well as brain metastases.
He is also proficient in the comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of multiple cancer types, individualized, and interdisciplinary, covering a wide range of solid tumors (such as stomach, intestine, brain, etc.).
[Visit information]
1. Clinic Hours and Location
December 13th, 14:00-17:00
Sixth Consultation Area, Hainan Cancer Hospital
2. [Appointment registration]
Follow the official account of Hainan Cancer Hospital for "appointment registration"
3. Health consultation
13876807106
[Friendly Reminder]
To facilitate the experts in understanding your condition as soon as possible, please bring along:
1. ID card, medical insurance card, mobile phone
2. Accompany immediate family members (with decision-making authority)
3. Arrange the relevant examinations you have undergone in chronological order
4. Paper medical records of previous visits
5. Surgical case biopsy: wax block or 20-30 white slides
6. Pathological diagnosis report
7. Inpatient medical records and notes
8. Recent relevant examinations
9. The patient's current treatment plan
10. Several urgent questions I want to inquire about