When the metastasis was discovered, Naoum (pseudonym) had just survived a house fire. Thick smoke choked his lungs, and he initially assumed it was just smoke inhalation damage. Little did he expect that fate was handing him a far more cruel sentence—Ewing sarcoma had metastasized to his lungs.
After the Fire, Another Storm Arises—Tumor Metastasis
Naoum comes from Lebanon. At 25 years old, he is still a student. In 2018, due to lower abdominal distension and pain, he was diagnosed locally with "pelvic Ewing sarcoma"—a highly malignant tumor occurring in bone or soft tissue, most commonly seen in children, adolescents, and young adults.
Gritting his teeth, he endured 14 cycles of systemic chemotherapy and 36 radiation therapy sessions. Fortunately, the result was gratifying—achieving Complete Response (CR).
His doctor advised him: the lungs are the most common site of metastasis, so regular check-ups are essential. Initially, he followed up on time, but as the reports remained normal year after year, he gradually let his guard down. Over the past two to three years, he only got chest X-rays instead of CT scans, and the X-rays consistently returned "normal".
It wasn't until a fire broke out in his house in March of this year that things changed. Irritated by dense smoke, symptoms like chest tightness, chest pain, coughing, and blood-tinged sputum followed one after another. The day after the fire, he went to the hospital for a CT scan, only to find an approximately 8 cm mass in his left lung. "I just prayed it wasn't a tumor," he quietly hoped.
A Twisting Path to Diagnosis
An initial bronchoscopic biopsy showed no malignant cells, giving him a temporary sense of hope—what if it was benign? However, a subsequent needle biopsy pointed to small cell lung cancer. "Could it be a brand-new tumor?" he wondered in confusion.
However, when doctors reviewed his history of Ewing sarcoma and conducted a pathological consultation, the final conclusion was reached: lung metastasis of the original Ewing sarcoma. Both Ewing sarcoma and small cell lung cancer exhibit "small round blue cell" morphology (small cells, scanty cytoplasm, hyperchromatic nuclei, fine chromatin) and grow in solid sheets or nests, making them extremely easy to confuse when biopsy or needle samples are limited.
Local doctors told him he had no choice other than chemotherapy. He refused. Unwilling to go through the agony of chemotherapy again, he began searching for alternative therapies and even tried "fasting therapy" to "starve the tumor"—which resulted in the tumor more than doubling in size. Left with no other options, he continued searching for medical help elsewhere.
Crossing Mountains and Seas to Guangzhou
He consulted numerous hospitals and eventually, by chance, found China Guangzhou Fuda Cancer Hospital. What attracted him was Fuda's internationally renowned cryoablation technology, countless authentic reviews from fellow cancer patients, and his trust in China's medical standards. At the end of April 2026, he arrived at Fuda's Medical Department II and was officially admitted.
However, by that time, the tumor in his lung had grown to nearly 17 cm. It was adjacent to the pericardium, pleura, and left upper pulmonary artery, compressing and adhering to the bronchus with localized narrowing, causing partial pulmonary atelectasis in his left lung. Because the lesion was huge and hypervascular, local ablation was no longer suitable. The team at Medical Department II tailored a personalized plan for him: Interventional Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization (TACE/TAE).
(CT image upon admission)
Unlike systemic chemotherapy, this procedure uses a guide wire to super-select into the tumor's feeding artery, delivering high concentrations of chemotherapeutic drugs directly into the tumor while simultaneously embolizing the supply blood vessels. In short, it means "cutting off supply lines and delivering targeted poison"—blocking blood supply to "starve" the tumor while locally killing it with high concentrations of drugs to "poison" it. The core chemotherapy drugs are essentially the same as systemic chemotherapy, but the side effects are significantly milder.
Except for slightly dry skin, Naoum didn't vomit even once. He was extremely satisfied with this. What touched him even more was the meticulous care from the medical staff—Director Yang Qingfeng, Deputy Director Zhong Xiaojun, Dr. Qiu Ningning, and others from the Interventional Department softly asked if he felt pain before each treatment; whenever abnormal breath sounds were heard, they immediately checked on his feelings and repeatedly verified his condition. This warmth brought him immense comfort and peace of mind during this difficult journey.
"It turns out I truly made the right choice." With every follow-up, the tumor on the CT scan was shrinking. After the third interventional session, he began combining it with targeted therapy. Today, that tumor, which once measured nearly 17 cm, has shrunk down to 5 cm.
(CT scans showing progressive shrinkage of the tumor)
Light Within the Piano Melody
Outside the ward, he has a habit—he often sits at the piano on the hospital's third floor, playing gently. The notes flow through the hallway, comforting fellow patients coming and going, as well as himself. In that melody lies the gentleness of surviving a ordeal, along with a quiet expectation for tomorrow. As the song ends, the lingering sound settles into the dusk of Guangzhou, like a soft, quiet light that gently illuminates him and everyone who hears it.
(Patient playing the piano)
