Sometimes, a life can be saved when a doctor is proactive or changes from being passive to active.
February 2009, a University Chancellor came to see me. He told me that his wife, a 48 years old teacher, was suffering from non-small cell lung cancer and she had been given six courses of chemotherapy but pulmonary lesions were still present. She now had bone and brain metastases. From the CT and MRI that he brought along, I noticed that there was a hilar mass at her left lung, multiple rib destruction by cancer, and presence of dense small satellite tumors due to brain metastases. He told me the treatment her wife had gone through. I found that his wife had practically been seen by almost all the well known doctors in Guangzhou. This was yet another “hot potato” so I took a “Business is Business” approach and suggested to consider switching to other chemotherapeutic agents or molecular targeted drugs, and to consult a few more radiotherapists and to consider whole brain irradiation.
A week later, the Chancellor came again. He told me that his wife strongly disagreed to undergo chemotherapy again and as for whole brain irradiation, some radiologists agreed to it but some opposed it because though it might be effective, it had only a short term effect; it often led to concurrent radiation encephalopathy and the patient would suffer badly. As I lacked the experience in radiotherapy, I did not give my views.
Another week later, the Chancellor came again. He told me that their daughter would get married on 1st May, the “Workers’ Day” inChina. He and his wife would like to make it to the wedding and solemnize the marriage. He was in tears. I admired this good-hearted chancellor deeply in my heart. I decided to be personalized and help him. Later, his wife received combined immunotherapy.
1st May 2009, the Chancellor and his wife held the wedding ceremony for their daughter. I learnt that they were very busy for several days. A few days later, I received an email from the Chancellor with the subject: Good News. He told me that CT review showed that his wife’s lung cancer and bone metastases had disappeared. November the same year, the Chancellor sent me another email with the subject: “Extremely Good News - I am going to have a grand daughter soon!”
Now, the Chancellor and I are very good friends. We always have very personalized discussions on treatment for his wife.