But just as he was about to speak, Ji Xiuwen swallowed the words back down.
...
Soon after, a knock on the door broke the silence in the Lu family ho.
"Sister-in-law, it’s ."
Upon hearing Lu Ran’s voice, Lin Fangling quickly opened the door, and seeing Old Lu, Lu Qinian, standing behind her with a slightly gloomy expression, Fangling’s heart skipped a beat. She quickly welcod her sister-in-law, Lu Ran, inside.
"Aunt, could I see Grandpa’s examination report?"
At the sight of Lu Ran, Lu Xuan didn’t even have ti to greet Grandpa Lu Qinian before his eyes quickly settled on her.
"Xiaoxuan?"
As soon as she saw Lu Xuan, Lu Ran was startled, a note of surprise in her voice: "When did you co back? How co I didn’t know? I didn’t hear you say you were coming back; I thought you weren’t coming for the holiday."
Lu Xuan didn’t have a chance to explain before Lin Yongzhen stepped forward to Lu Ran: "Aunt, could I see Grandpa’s examination report?"
"Yongzhen is here too?"
Looking at Lin Yongzhen rushing to her side, Lu Ran quickly pulled up the examination report on her phone and handed it directly to Lin Yongzhen: "Take a look. City First Hospital also called and explained the situation a bit."
Lin Yongzhen nodded and began examining the report on the phone.
At that mont, Lu Xuan also stepped forward quickly.
Seeing Lu Xuan approach, Lin Yongzhen spoke softly, "There are issues with the CT and colonoscopy, as well as with the barium al test. It’s duodenal adenocarcinoma. This disease typically shows no evident symptoms in the early stage but may present with upper abdominal pain, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, anemia, and jaundice."
Seemingly concerned that Lu Xuan, who studied traditional Chinese dicine, might not be very inford about such specific cancers as duodenal adenocarcinoma, Lin Yongzhen explained, "Clinically, this disease is generally divided into four stages. Stage I: The tumor is confined to the duodenal wall; Stage II: The tumor has penetrated the duodenal wall; Stage III: The tumor has regional lymph node tastasis; Stage IV: The tumor has distant tastasis.
Based on the examination results, Grandpa seems to be in Stage I, which isn’t too severe."
Saying this, Lin Yongzhen glanced at everyone, especially Old Lu, Lu Qinian, then pulled Lu Xuan aside and said quietly, "Xiaoxuan, although I didn’t specialize in gastroenterology, I’ve gained so knowledge about it over ti. A departnt head at our Second Provincial Hospital ntioned this condition during a conference.
The recomnded treatnt for duodenal adenocarcinoma is primarily radical resection, with procedures depending on the tumor’s location and stage, including duodenal segntal resection or pancreaticoduodenectomy.
For tumors that cannot be resected, palliative procedures like biliary or gastrointestinal drainage can be perford. Pancreaticoduodenectomy is commonly used for duodenal cancer, with a 5-year survival rate of 25% to 60% post-surgery.
A combination of surgical treatnt and adjunct radiotherapy can enhance outcos for so patients with duodenal adenomas, using high-energy radiation or other particles to kill or control cancer cells.
Beyond the relatively common thods ntioned, there are also chemotherapies, targeted treatnts, and interventional therapies available.
I believe we should act quickly while Grandpa is still in good health and the disease is newly detected and has not advanced to Stage II, to begin treatnt early. Otherwise, once it spreads to the lymph nodes—excuse for being blunt—it might just be a matter of waiting for the end."
This was Lu Xuan’s first encounter with duodenal adenocarcinoma. Listening to Lin Yongzhen’s explanation gave him a preliminary understanding of the disease. However, compared to the surgical and chemotherapy treatnts Yongzhen ntioned, he was more inclined towards using traditional Chinese dicine.
Especially since it was just discovered and hadn’t progressed to a severe stage, relying entirely on traditional Chinese dicine could treat it, confining the cancer within a small range, preventing its spread and tastasis, and perhaps even shrinking the tumor significantly through such treatnts.
By doing this, one wouldn’t have to endure much suffering and could live like a normal person.
But if treated with Western thods, surgery plus chemotherapy, the survival rate wouldn’t be high, and one would suffer.
Not to ntion the surgery, especially the chemotherapy.
It’s a choice that harms oneself more than the enemy—originally, one could survive three to five years or even longer without treatnt, but after undergoing surgery and chemotherapy, surviving even three years could be considered lucky, with those years spent also being plagued by the pain of chemotherapy.
Many cancer patients die from fear of cancer itself.
But a large portion of them do not die from cancer itself but from the treatnts such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, which severely deplete the body’s primordial Qi, causing so who could have lived three to five years to only survive a year or even less.
Regarding cancer, Lu Xuan leaned more towards traditional Chinese dicine treatnt plans.
However, since Lin Yongzhen had spoken, it wasn’t easy for him to imdiately reject it. As he was about to discuss traditional Chinese dicine’s perspective on cancer with his cousin who specialized in Western dicine, Grandpa Lu Qinian spoke up, "Just say what you have to say, what are you two whispering about over there?"
"Yongzhen, your aunt already told about my condition on the way. No need to hide it from . Even though you’re not a child of our Lu family, you’ve always been close with Xiaoxuan since childhood. I consider you half a grandson as well. You’re a doctor; tell , how should this disease be treated?"
Lin Yongzhen wanted to chat more with Lu Xuan, but upon hearing Lu Qinian’s words, he swallowed back his words, thought for a mont, and said to Lu Qinian: "Grandpa Lu, although it’s duodenal adenocarcinoma, you’re fortunate that it’s only in Stage I. With active treatnt, there’s no need to worry."
"Surgery?"
"Chemotherapy?"
Lu Qinian asked, frowning.
"Yes."
Lin Yongzhen nodded.
"Forget about surgery and chemotherapy; if it’s chemotherapy, I’d rather not treat it at all."
Lu Qinian directly refused the surgical and chemotherapy plan ntioned by Lin Yongzhen.
Lin Yongzhen was taken aback by how decisively Lu Qinian rejected the surgical chemotherapy treatnt plan. After a mont of thought, he tried to persuade him: "Grandpa Lu, it’s still in the early stage; with surgical chemotherapy treatnt, recovery is very likely. Besides, you’re not that old yet. If you were older, I wouldn’t even suggest surgical chemotherapy.
I know you have concerns. It’s true that surgical chemotherapy has so side effects, but many patients with this disease have controlled their conditions well through such treatnts, with many not experiencing any tastasis.
The issues with those who didn’t get better also have their reasons."
Lin Yongzhen explained, "According to so dical analyses, there are several reasons why the results of chemotherapy can vary: first, patients who undergo chemotherapy are often in late stages of cancer with low survival rates to begin with; second, survival rates differ vastly depending on cancer type—breast cancer patients have a survival rate more than four tis higher than lung cancer patients with chemotherapy; third, there are limitations in dicine, as not all types of organ cancer treatnts are at the sa level; continuous scientific research is required for so. Lastly, attitude matters greatly—a severe mood swing from a positive state at diagnosis to hopelessness can enable the disease to take advantage, offering no help to the condition.
If the patient is inherently opposed to chemotherapy, the treatnt outco will not likely be favorable."
"My mind is made up. No need to say any more. If it involves surgical chemotherapy, I won’t undergo the treatnt."
Lu Qinian waved his hand, outright rejecting Lin Yongzhen’s suggestion.
At his age, he had witnessed too much.
Countless elderly folks in his village around his age had been diagnosed with cancer, went through surgical chemotherapy, and suffered imnsely, only to pass away after a year or two, sotis even less than a year.
Moreover, in hospitals, it’s common to see patients post-chemotherapy, mostly emaciated, pale-faced, with severe hair loss issues, severely impacting their health. If the survival chances after chemotherapy are low and the process is painful, why would anyone choose chemotherapy?
Besides, when Lu Ran told him it was duodenal adenocarcinoma, he had already looked into chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy, as the na suggests, involves chemical drug treatnt, using drugs to kill cancer cells, achieving treatnt objectives. It is also currently recognized as one of the best thods to combat cancer.
However, that’s just consensus among Western dicine practitioners, not necessarily among the majority.
From what Lu Qinian understood, chemotherapy is a harsh, indiscriminate thod that damages both good and bad cells, affecting human health. So families have questioned why, when soone was healthy, they beca frail after undergoing chemotherapy.
"Chemotherapy is as fierce as a tiger; one misstep, and you end up in the ground." It’s not said without reason.
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