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How did he manage to smoothly pass the first five years after undergoing anal-preserving surgery for rectal cancer?

时间：2026-04-16　人气：

In November 2016, Mr. Ma noticed blood in his stool but did not pay much attention. Half a year later, he noticed that the frequency of blood in his stool had increased. Consequently, he went to the hospital for a colonoscopy, during which an ulcerated protruding mass measuring approximately 2.5cm*3cm was found at a location about 1cm from the anus. Pathology indicated moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. In August 2017, a CT scan revealed ulcerative lesions on the right wall of the lower rectum, with the lesions locally penetrating the muscular layer. Lymph nodes were also visible in the mesentery surrounding the rectum and in the area adjacent to the superior rectal artery, with the largest measuring approximately 7mm and a total of about two nodes. The diagnosis was considered to be lower rectal cancer (stage cT3N1b)

Mr. Ma was already 69 years old at that time, and low rectal cancer located only about 1cm from the anus could not be treated with anal preservation. Surgical treatment would not only permanently deteriorate Mr. Ma's quality of life, but also pose a significant risk for an elderly patient to tolerate surgery.

From August 13th to September 13th, 2017, Mr. Ma underwent 22 sessions of radiotherapy, and during the radiotherapy period, he took capecitabine tablets for chemotherapy. The follow-up pelvic magnetic resonance imaging showed that the ulcerative lesion on the right wall of the lower segment had improved compared to before, and lymph nodes measuring 4mm were visible in the mesentery around the rectum and in the area adjacent to the superior rectal artery. <

The most easily misdiagnosed cancer - rectal cancer

Rectal cancer is a common gastrointestinal tumor in gastrointestinal surgery. In recent years, with the improvement of people's living standards, dietary structure and eating habits have also changed, leading to an upward trend in the incidence rate of rectal cancer. Due to the atypical early symptoms of rectal cancer, it is easily misdiagnosed as hemorrhoids, chronic colitis, etc., so many patients do not pay attention to it, resulting in many patients being diagnosed at an advanced stage when they seek medical attention. This seriously affects the treatment and prognosis of the disease.

What are the early symptoms of rectal cancer?

Bloody stool

Bloody stool is the most common symptom in patients with rectal cancer, but it is often self-diagnosed as hemorrhoids by patients, leading to misdiagnosis or neglect, thus delaying treatment time and aggravating the condition. Rectal cancer bloody stool is persistent and does not improve with time. The blood is mostly red or dark red, mixed with fecal mucus or purulent bloody stool, sometimes accompanied by blood clots; while hemorrhoidal bloody stool is periodic, and symptoms improve with time. The blood is bright red, often appearing in the form of spraying or flowing out, without other mucus in the blood.

Changes in bowel habits

Tumor secretions can irritate the intestines, leading to symptoms such as frequent bowel movements and tenesmus, and some patients may also experience long-term diarrhea.

Phenomenon of intestinal stenosis and obstruction

Rectal cancer can also cause the phenomenon of intestinal stenosis and obstruction, with symptoms such as stool becoming thin and irregular, difficulty in defecation, constipation, and abdominal pain due to gas. Due to the accumulation of feces, a strip-shaped mass can sometimes be felt in the left lower abdomen.

Source: People's Daily Online - People's Health Network

Mr. Ma did not undergo radical surgery after being diagnosed with rectal cancer, but instead received radiotherapy and chemotherapy. To prevent tumor recurrence, after extensive research, Mr. Ma and his family learned about Professor Zhang Minghui's vNKT technology at Tsinghua University School of Medicine through a friend's recommendation, and carefully reviewed the demonstrated cases of vNKT cell therapy. They were particularly eager to try it to reduce the risk of tumor recurrence and delay the occurrence of recurrence and metastasis.

After reviewing Mr. Ma's medical records, Professor Zhang Minghui made the following analysis and judgment:

1. The patient has rectal cancer that has penetrated the muscular layer after undergoing chemoradiotherapy.

2. Due to various reasons, the patient did not undergo radical surgery, and radiotherapy and chemotherapy are difficult to completely remove the lesion like surgery. In this case, the risk of recurrence and metastasis in the future is higher.

3. To prolong the patient's life span without compromising their quality of life, vNKT cell therapy is a good choice. vNKT cell therapy utilizes powerful immune cells to kill tumor cells in the body, with essentially no side effects, making it very friendly for elderly patients like Mr. Ma.

Mr. Ma began vNKT cell immunotherapy on November 19, 2018, and as of April 2023, he has completed 43 courses and has been in a stable condition for 5 years.

CA19-9: Re-examination from November 2018 to July 2023 showed normal levels;

CA72-4: Slightly higher than normal range in November 2021 and December 2021, and within normal range for the remaining time period;

CEA: Re-examination from November 2018 to December 2021 showed normal levels, slightly higher than normal range from April 2022 to July 2022, and decreased to normal range and gradually declined in November 2022.

Mr. Ma achieved the expected effect after undergoing vNKT cell therapy, and his quality of life improved significantly. After 43 consecutive courses of systematic treatment, the patient showed no obvious signs of recurrence or metastasis during 10 follow-up imaging examinations. The patient is living a normal life, with reduced frequency or severity of skin allergies or other symptoms.

Surgery combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment not only kills tumor tissue, but also causes certain damage to other organs and tissues in the human body, which to some extent affects the patient's immune function and quality of life< H228>[¹^]， Therefore, it is necessary to adopt biologic immunotherapy for patients after surgery. Biological immunotherapy can enhance patients' immune system, prolong survival, and improve quality of life. It has become one of the widely used biological treatment methods.^[2^].

Mr. Ma was already 69 years old at the time, and low rectal cancer cannot preserve the anus. Surgical treatment not only permanently deteriorates Mr. Ma's quality of life, but also poses a major risk to whether elderly patients can tolerate surgery. The patient did not undergo radical surgery. After completing radiotherapy and chemotherapy, vNKT cell therapy was followed up to eliminate residual cancer cells, stimulate the patient's own immune system function, enhance anti-tumor ability, and improve the quality of the patient's prognosis.

References:

[1] Zhang Huan The impact of laparoscopic radical resection for colorectal cancer on immune function and postoperative recovery [J]. Heilongjiang Medical Science, 2021, 44 (2): 104-106.

[2] Wang Gaoxiang, Zhang Min, He Peng Observation on the Effect of Radical Surgery Combined with Immunotherapy for Colorectal Cancer and Changes in ERRα and ERRβ Protein Levels [J]. Journal of Practical Cancer, 2021, 36(5): 836-839.

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How did he manage to smoothly pass the first five years after undergoing anal-preserving surgery for rectal cancer?

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