Treatment of cancer is to better living
News Background
Since the 20th century, with surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy as the representative of the three major arms of treatment and rehabilitation for cancer make a great contribution, but these traditional treatments have their limitations in cancer treatment failed to reach an overall satisfactory results. A harsh reality is that cancer incidence and mortality showed an upward trend, although medical scientists have been perfecting the three major treatment, but patients who survive more than 5 years only 25% of all cancer patients and 35% , 65% of patients is difficult to endure 3 to 5 years. Many cancer patients did not receive appropriate treatment, combined with systemic chemotherapy, surgery is not uncommon for abuse, inappropriate treatment not only increased the suffering of patients, and even speed up the patient's death.
Situation grim Cancer scientists around the world to promote a deep reflection on the past in the cancer problem committing a strategic error, that is only concerned with the destruction of the tumor was found, ignored after treatment to prevent recurrence and metastasis, called for further play of Traditional Chinese Medicine the unique role of natural therapies. The treatment of cancer from the past, "disease as the core" changes to "patient-centered" human therapeutic model. How, then, the most simple way, the minimum cost of access to the best overall treatment effect?
How to carry out scientific and rational comprehensive cancer treatment to adjust the zero drug to prevent recurrence and metastasis after treatment?
These are all preventable and curable cancer to achieve the urgent need to address the problem. With these questions, this reporter interviewed a famous tumor expert, the Chinese Society of Psychosomatic Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine PhD supervisor Professor He Yumin.
A "annihilation" is easy to turn
Reporter: dealing with cancer treatment is the classic Western to find and destroy cancer cells until the final elimination. What do you think?
Yu-min: surgical resection, radiotherapy and chemotherapy to kill tumor cells in direct response, we call it "hard measures." Denied, cancer stressed the "three early" (early discovery, early diagnosis and treatment) is an important meaning. Exclude patients with early cancer and other natural factors of longer survival, "three early" there are still a hypothetical possibility that part of the treatment of patients most likely completely without mercy by cancer cells, so this is an important way to improve the efficacy. However, for other cancer patients who want to kill all cancer cells, but also easier said than done?
The most commonly used surgery, radiotherapy and other methods are local treatment. Now a more consistent view is that cancer is a local performance-based systemic disease, simple excision or wide resection or high-dose radiotherapy, large areas, do not increase the cure rate, it will lead to a decline in quality of life . Although the systemic chemotherapy treatment, but not very efficient, the price is extraordinarily high; good little toxic side effects. No matter how many times repeated chemotherapy and radiotherapy can not be true 100% way to remove cancer cells.
In addition, studies have shown that some "early" cancer, although by the time of diagnosis of advanced equipment and technology available detailed examination failed to find distant metastasis (dominant transfer), but in fact there is considerable time patients have distant metastases (occult lymph node, that is, sub-clinical lesions), cancer statistics, if people have transferred 60% of the time of diagnosis. The United States are diagnosed each year about 800 000 solid cancer patients with tumors diagnosed at that time about 50 million patients have been transferred. Such as with PET-CT examination, but also can find a lot of CT, MRI examination revealed the modern advanced equipment that can not be "hidden" transfer.
Reporter: Western scientists to statistics, about 45% of cancer patients can be clinically cured, the effective rate of surgical treatment of 22%, 18% radiotherapy and chemotherapy and other methods of 5%.
Yu-min: For suffering has been considered "incurable" cancer patients, these are remarkable achievements in the (tens of thousands of patients, according to our long-term observation, the only effective treatment with Western medicine, can exceed 15% long-term health of cancer patients alive, of which about 4% to 5% of the clinical examination of cancer disappear, we do not think this is entirely the result of cancer cells without mercy). Even so, it still means that there are as many as 40% to 50% of patients unable to clinical cure.
B Chinese cancer
Also need to reflect
Reporter: In recent years, Chinese medicine in cancer treatment is gradually outweighed the advantages, but it does have some deficiencies, could be more specific about.
Yu-min: TCM treatment of cancer focus on the systemic treatment of human organs has strong resilience to adjust to all kinds of western medicine is not the body kill tumor cells are the body's immune system clear, the purpose to cure cancer. Strengths of Chinese medicine but also in radiation therapy can enhance, reduce side effects of chemotherapy agents. Shortcomings is the role of local tumor treatment is not strong, the destruction of tumor cells and insufficient. Although the side effects, but the effective slow. Therefore, we Chinese medicine called "soft measures."
Reporter: Traditional banner name of the treatment of various tumors of publicity everywhere, whether all of the treatments are effective?
Yu-min: We still need to look at the development of some traditional Chinese thinking. In this view, some treatment must be carefully used.
"Ruanjian product" in the past, as the main method of treatment of thyroid cancer is one. But research shows that, at least in the Shanghai area, many thyroid tumors, "iodine" dependent, while many of the soft drug firm is a high iodine, such as seaweed, kelp, Prunella, mountain Arrowhead, etc., these should be taboo. I have encountered one case of lung metastasis of breast cancer patients, drug therapy with a zero, stability has reached more than 3 years, by the end of 2004 she listen to the experiences of others, said that seaweed can be cancer, so large doses eat. Department of left neck pop up a hard thyroid nodule - Thyroid cancer, then a trace of its people 25 years ago, had thyroid cancer, breast, lung transfer under control, thyroid cancer has recurred, it is clear that a large number of fresh seaweed culprit.
Another 10-year-old patient, is a position of cadres, has now become my friend. Bladder cancer, a tonic medicine for large doses, including wild ginseng, etc., 10 years ago, more than 280 yuan for each quote should drug money, while eating Chinese medicine, while doing cleaning, not only microscopic examination after 3 months that see relapse, and medication and has been feeling lower abdomen bulge, discomfort, it is actually abuse Yong Zhi Qi tonic to help the growth of cancer due. Electrotherapy, the use of agents with zero clearing antitumor drug therapy, not only were very comfortable, and has survived 10 years.
Reporter: Chinese medicine in cancer treatment, there will be new breakthroughs?
Yu-min: Chinese unclear because of the theoretical concepts, ambiguous, resulting in the slow development of its own, the doctors and other medical has been competing at a disadvantage, people are looking for the key moment of the treatment of cancer tend to western medicine, some to late stage cancer patients think Chinese medicine, this is the proof. In recent years, began to extract active ingredients from herbal technology quite quickly, so you can make the side effects of herbal treatment of cancer is almost zero. Chinese medicine hair of the dog if the idea of changing the past, which, combined with traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of cancer diseases overall superiority can not be replaced, Chinese medicine will be better prospects for development.
C tumor be people-oriented governance
Reporter: tumor-round match today, we thought it should be a new change?
Yu-min: We have a clear idea of tumor treatment, the past, mainly invasive means, the first time thoroughly to kill (and often over-treatment) cancer thought unworthy; even late in an attempt to bet the same as the charge through the last chemotherapy, are also often involved in other to turn the tide of no practical significance and possibilities. On the contrary, in most cases, especially in elderly patients, to their class of cancer as a chronic disease, to consider short-term goal to pursue the best effect on both, but the pursuit of long-term stability and good quality of life. Treatment on stress is reasonable, appropriate and comprehensive. Implementation of palliative care for most patients and the "maintenance treatment" idea ... ... In short, in many cases, "CAREFUL IN THE SUMMER" are often the consequences will be better and more consistent long-term best interests of patients. The whole treatment, surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the choice of more invasive means to be "the person and should," "moderate shelling ceased." This goes back to a Chinese medicine "the person should," "Big drug treatment, 10 to its six" "food nutrition, do" traditional thinking. Really highlights the medical "people-oriented" basic purpose, which we thought called "clever countermeasures."
Reporter: So, "a clever countermeasures" The key is it?
Yu-min: The key is to improve the quality of life of patients. Improve the quality of life and prolonging life has become the gold standard of modern cancer treatment, in this context, the patient should be integrated under the circumstances, the light of evidence based medicine, the use of standardized and individualized therapy combined, and finally to a variety of cancer patients prolonged survival. In the new outcome measures, we select the treatment program should be in the "eradication of cancer" and "protection of the body" to strike a balance between, choose a maximum protection of both the human body function, to avoid trauma or side effects, while inhibition of tumor cells to the treatment program. In short, scientific, comprehensive, and reasonable treatment principles, so we only concerned with biological tumor suppression kill shifted to more attention to improve the patients quality of life and prolong survival as the goal of "people-oriented" treatment, which reflects the significant changing attitudes.
Reporter: You mentioned several times in the comprehensive treatment of cancer, we all know, the combined treatment is not a simple superposition. How, then, to achieve the 1 +1> 2 effect?
Yu-min: in the development of cancer treatment, we must grasp the principle of comprehensive treatment. Cancer is a systemic disease in a partial reflection of the complexity of the decision of any condition of a single treatment were not sufficient to obtain very reliable efficacy. Meanwhile, as the medical model into the biological model of biological - psychological - social model, and are turning to biological - psychological - social - ethical model, and the tumor itself is the result of interaction of many factors, so the treatment of cancer should be treated as an integrated principle. Should be based on the patient's general condition, psychological state, the organs function, the specific tumor site, histological type, extension of the development trend and disease of the morning and evening, etc., combined with the characteristics of cell and molecular biology, planned, optimized and reasonable manner Combined application of various existing effective treatment, and the most appropriate economic cost to obtain the best treatment, patients should also maximize the improvement of the quality of life. Such as solid tumor indications for surgery are advised to have surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy for stage in the appropriate use of radiotherapy and chemotherapy should also make full use of and treatment with Chinese medicine, biological treatment, to a total playing anti-cancer, tumor, attenuated efficiency, reduce toxicity, relieve pain patients, improve symptoms, quality of life and prolong survival in the consolidated results. In addition, we pay attention to psychological adjustment, social support, home care and so on.
In the emphasis on integrated treatment, in particular, highlight the medical treatment, psychological treatment and the combined effect of social support. In fact, Chinese medicine treatment of outstanding significance in the malignant tumor, in a long time been seriously underestimated or misunderstood, and psychological and social support has long been ignored, this is the tumor mortality in China today is still high important factor. Must work now to correct this error, full attention to the significance of combined therapy to improve tumor response time.