Director Lin Boru said that the elderly should not give up easily when they suffer from cancer. Mr. Huang successfully eliminated the tumor and regained the quality of life. (Photo/Provided by Taichung Hospital)
An 89-year-old Mr. Huang from Taichung went to the doctor because of stomach bloating and discomfort. He thought it was a gastrointestinal discomfort, but following a gastroenterology examination, he found a 7.64 cm tumor in his liver. Although the old man was older , the family members had hesitated whether to accept radiation therapy, which is prone to side effects.
Because Mr. Huang was in good health, his family finally decided to actively treat him. As a result, the tumor shrank in less than a month following the treatment, and there were not too many side effects due to radiation therapy. The radiation oncologist suggested that if there are elderly people in the family For cancer, if the health permits, the effect of radiation therapy is fast and good, and it can be carried out together with targeted drugs.
Mr. Huang’s daughter, Ms. Huang, said that her father has always been in good health. Not only does he not smoke or drink, he eats regularly and sleeps normally. So following Mr. Huang found out that he had a tumor in his liver, he still insisted that his father actively fight cancer. Mr. Huang was then transferred to the Department of Radiation Oncology for radiotherapy. Dr. Lin Boru, Director of the Radiation Oncology Department of Taichung Hospital, also felt that this patient was quite special when talking regarding this patient. He explained that although the old man had liver cancer caused by hepatitis C and was older, the effect of treatment was quite good.
Dr. Lin Boru said that many people will worry regarding the uncomfortable side effects of radiation therapy, but whether there are side effects actually varies from person to person. For example, Mr. Huang only received 15 low-fractionated, high-intensity radiation treatments (generally, the normal number is regarding 20 to 30 times), and the dose is stronger than that of ordinary patients, but he has not experienced serious discomfort due to radiation therapy so far. Life is pretty much normal.
Director Lin Boru specifically mentioned that the current radiation therapy can be personalized and specialized. As long as the location and size of the cancer can be accurately located, the tumor can be reduced without excessive damage to the surrounding tissue. For example, following Mr. Huang received radiation therapy, the cancer cell tissue decreased from 7.64 cm to 5.6 cm, and the cancer index also dropped from 1310 to more than 600. The effect is very significant.
Ms. Huang said that her father has always been very optimistic and cooperated very well when seeking medical treatment. She also mentioned that taking care of the elderly requires some “scheming”. “I specially asked the doctor to cooperate and try not to mention the word “cancer” to my father. I just explained to my father that he has something growing in his liver, so he has to go to the hospital for treatment.” Ms. Huang observed that her father faced it with a normal heart. Disease, she obediently took targeted drugs, and combined with radiation therapy. At present, she and her father are very satisfied with the treatment effect.
Director Lin Boru also specially reminded that when the elderly suffer from cancer, it is recommended to actively control it and not to give up the possibility of treatment easily. “Actually, clinically, there are many cases of good prognosis for the elderly following cancer treatment.” Therefore, he encourages family members to make an assessment first, and then give appropriate treatment methods according to the physical condition of the elderly. This is the best policy.
