My surname is Tang, and I am 63 years old. After retiring last year, I had hoped to enjoy life properly. But toward the end of the year, I kept feeling weak. When I went to the hospital for an examination, my pepsinogen level was elevated. I then underwent gastroscopy and abdominal CT scans and was ultimately diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma. When I first received the diagnosis, I was completely stunned. Fear and helplessness came over me like a tide. I tossed and turned at night, unable to sleep, and had already prepared myself for the worst.
After that, I began chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Those days were truly unbearable. I often felt nauseated and wanted to vomit, and dense rashes appeared all over my arms. Then large areas of skin began to peel, and even touching water hurt. During that time, I did not even want to look in the mirror. My weight dropped to just over 40 kilograms, and in the end I asked the doctor to suspend the treatment. Living like that felt like another form of suffering.
Later follow-up examinations showed that the situation had worsened. CT scans showed that the mass in my stomach wall was growing, and there were metastases to the lymph nodes and adrenal glands. Should I continue treatment or not? If it meant major surgery, I definitely would not dare to do it, and my body could not withstand it either. When I had no way out, I heard from other patients about UNI-ASIA Cancer Hospital, where there was a group of top minimally invasive oncology experts, including Professor Zhang Jinshan and Professor Liao Zhengyin, who are well-known doctors throughout China. I was somewhat moved, and my husband also encouraged me to give it a try.
Preoperative CT showed marked thickening of the stomach wall
Preoperative CT showed obvious enlargement of the lymph nodes
When I arrived at UNI-ASIA Cancer Hospital, as soon as the car stopped, dedicated staff came to receive me. The hospital environment felt like a high-end apartment, quiet and warm. After I settled in, Professor Liao Zhengyin came to see me with Director Luo Jiamin. Professor Liao did not put on any airs as a famous expert. He first chatted with me for a while, and then began explaining my condition and treatment plan. “Teacher Tang, look here. This tumor in your stomach is now being supplied by many blood vessels. With minimally invasive interventional treatment, we make only a small needle puncture at the groin, use a very thin catheter, follow the blood vessels precisely to the arteries feeding the tumor, infuse a high concentration of chemotherapy drugs directly into them, and then block those vessels with embolic agents.” I still remember his eight words: attack the city directly and cut off its supplies. Director Luo Jiamin added that this kind of precise treatment has very little impact on the whole body, and patients can regain their energy quickly after the procedure. After hearing this clear explanation, I began to feel hopeful again.
The treatment process was far easier than I had imagined. That day, I walked into the operating room by myself. Throughout the procedure, only local anesthesia was used at the groin, and I remained fully awake. I could see the thin catheter moving through my body on the screen above me, but I did not feel any pain at all. The procedure was completed in less than an hour. After returning to the ward, apart from needing to lie still for several hours for compression and hemostasis, I felt nothing unusual. The nursing team was also very thoughtful. Considering my poor appetite, the nutritionist prepared soft, easily digestible meals for me. To prevent blood clots, the nurses patiently taught me how to do ankle pump exercises and checked on me from time to time, taking care of every detail with great attention.
Postoperative CT review showed that the stomach wall had become much thinner
Postoperative imaging showed that the lymph nodes had shrunk significantly
I was amazed by how quickly my body recovered after the minimally invasive procedure. On the second day after surgery, I got out of bed and walked around the room, and I felt much more energetic. Soon, the doctors told me that all my indicators were stable and that I could be discharged to rest at home. On the day I walked out of the hospital, the winter sun in Chengdu, rarely seen that season, shone warmly on me. At last, I felt that life had something to look forward to again. From a patient disfigured by the torment of chemoradiotherapy, I became once again an ordinary person who could walk and eat with my family.
Finally, I want to say something from the bottom of my heart to fellow patients who are hesitating and afraid right now: I am truly grateful to Professor Liao, Director Luo, and every expert at UNI-ASIA Cancer Hospital. They saved my life not only with top-level technology, but also with compassion, allowing me to walk this road with dignity and self-respect. Find the right experts and choose a place like UNI-ASIA Cancer Hospital, a harbor of personalized care, and you truly have the chance to live calmly and with quality. Do not give up. Hope is shining ahead.
- Dictated by Teacher Tang, during a peaceful time of recovery
This case is based on a real patient experience. Privacy details have been processed. It does not constitute a promise of diagnosis or treatment.
