Expat hails 'Shanghai solution' lung cancer treatment

A patient from the United Kingdom who was treated last month for his multiple lung cancer nodules at Shanghai East Hospital using a world-pioneering "Shanghai solution" has recovered well, doctors said on Monday, following the patient's first follow-up check.

The patient, Andrew Car, said he felt great, with his daily activities and diet back to normal. He expressed a high level of confidence in his prognosis.

"I resumed work just five days after receiving the ablation treatment," said Car, 57, a car body designer.

"And after all this process, I've become more confident of the outcome, and I feel that it made perfect sense just to stay in Shanghai for the treatment," said Car, who has lived in Shanghai for 11 years.

Li Qiang, director of the respiratory and critical care medicine department at the hospital, said the patient had over 10 nodules in both lungs. The "Shanghai solution" — pleuroscopy-assisted early lung cancer ablation, or PAELCA — provided a life-changing opportunity for him.

On March 21, Li's team ablated six nodules in the patient's left lung within four hours.

"Today's CT scans showed that all the six lesions have been completely ablated, with some previously mushroom-like nodules now transformed into solid necrotic tissue," said Li, adding that a similar ablation treatment on the patient's other lung is scheduled in a few months.

"The patient's recovery condition also demonstrated the advantages of such minimally invasive ablation treatment. In comparison, traditional surgeries or radiation therapy may significantly impact a patient's lung function and quality of life," he said.

About six months ago, the nodules in Car's lungs were detected during a routine check-up. Considering his family history of lung cancer, doctors recommended immediate surgery. Car said he had never thought of returning to the UK for treatment. He placed his trust in Shanghai's medical expertise.

Tailoring the treatment to Car's case, Li's team modified the traditional ablation, introducing a novel approach. Under general anesthesia, they made a 5-millimeter incision between the ribs on one side and inserted a dual-lumen endotracheal tube to immobilize the lung, enabling precise targeting of the nodules.

Additionally, closed thoracic drainage was performed prior to the treatment to promptly address pneumothorax or bleeding, significantly enhancing safety of the treatment, said the doctors.

Car praised the top-notch medical experience in Shanghai. "The first time when I saw doctor Li, he installed me with confidence, and he really made an effort to explain the procedure. Moreover, his English is quite good."

PAELCA has been performed at Shanghai East Hospital since 2000 and was promoted nationwide in 2004. The treatment was also demonstrated to doctors from Southeast Asia, with clinical applications in some local hospitals already, said Li.

"Last year, we presented this technique at a global industry conference held in Indonesia, sparking interest among local professionals. Earlier this year, a livestreaming platform in Singapore was established, enabling doctors in Singapore as well as other Southeast Asian countries to watch our ablation treatment online," he said.

Li expressed confidence in the technique, adding that his team aims to expand its application to more countries in the future. (China Daily)

上个月，一位来自英国的患者在上海东方医院接受了世界首创的“上海方案”手术治疗，目前其多个肺癌结节已经恢复良好。周一，医生对该患者进行了首次随访检查。

患者安德鲁·卡尔表示，自己感觉很好，每天的活动和饮食都已恢复正常。他对自己的预后充满信心。

57岁的汽车车身设计师卡尔说:“我接受消融治疗后仅五天就恢复了工作。”

“在经历了整个治疗过程后，我对结果更加自信，留在上海治疗是完全正确的选择。”在上海生活了11年的卡尔说。

据上海市东方医院呼吸与重症医学科主任李强介绍，患者双肺存在10多个结节。“上海方案”——胸腔镜辅助早期肺癌切除术（PAELCA）为其提供了改变人生的机遇。

3月21日，李强团队在4小时内成功消融了患者左肺的6个结节。

李强称：“今天的CT扫描显示，患者的6个病灶都已经完全消融，部分此前类似蘑菇的结节，现已经转化为固体坏死组织。”他还表示，几个月后将对患者另一肺实施类似的消融治疗。

他说:“患者的恢复情况充分展现了这种微创消融治疗的优势。相比之下，传统的手术或放疗可能会对患者肺功能及生活质量产生较大影响。”

大约6个月前，卡尔在例行检查中发现了肺部结节。鉴于其肺癌家族史，医生建议立即手术。卡尔表示，自己从未想过要回英国接受治疗。他十分信任上海的医疗专家。

为适配卡尔病情，李强团队改良传统消融术，引入了一种新方法。在全身麻醉下，团队在卡尔肋骨的一侧做了一个5毫米的切口，并插入一根双腔气管管来固定肺部，从而能够精确地瞄准结节。

此外，医生指出，在治疗前进行闭合胸腔引流以及时解决气胸或出血问题，显著提高了治疗的安全性。

卡尔对在上海的医疗体验赞不绝口“我第一次见到李医生时，他不仅对我的治疗充满信心，还耐心地解释了手术过程。此外，他的英语也相当出色。”

据悉，PAELCA自2000年开始在上海市东方医院开展，并于2004年在全国推广。李强介绍，该疗法已向东南亚医生演示，并在部分当地医院进行了临床应用。

“去年，我们在印度尼西亚举行的全球行业会议上展示了这种技术，引起了当地专业人士的关注。今年初，新加坡搭建了直播平台，使新加坡和其他东南亚国家的医生能够在线观看我们的消融治疗过程。”李强说。

李强对这项技术充满信心，并表示团队计划在未来将其应用推广至更多国家。（中国日报）