Click on the blue text to follow us Wanting to live longer, fearing that the torment of chemotherapy and radiotherapy makes life worse than death
Wanting to fight desperately for treatment, yet worried that excessive treatment will overwhelm the body
Wanting to return to life, yet exhausted from rushing between the hospital and home
This is the common dilemma faced by many late-stage cancer patientswhoencounter. However, with the improvement of China's cancer prevention and control system and the rapid development of diagnostic and treatment technologies, the concept of tumor treatmentis gradually changing, from viewing cancer as a "terminal illness" to be feared and avoided, gradually shifting toa "chronic disease" that can be managed and controlled. The core strategy of treatment has also shifted from pursuing short-term rapid eradication to emphasizing long-term and dynamic immune control and maintenance of quality of life
2March 2013: Mr. Chen presented with painless hematuria and underwent ultrasound examination, revealing a huge space-occupying lesion (6.6×5.4cm) in his left kidney. A radical nephrectomy was performed that month, and the pathology confirmed grade II clear cell carcinoma of the left kidney. Postoperatively, he received autologous dendritic cell (DC) tumor vaccine therapy.
October 2017: Multiple nodules were found in the right lung with increased metabolism, suspected to be malignant metastasis ; circular high-density shadow in the right occipital lobe, suspected to be brain metastasis . For the metastatic lesion, Mr. Chen underwent gamma knife precise radiotherapy.
February 2019: Chest CT indicated a slight enlargement of the metastatic tumor in the right upper lobe, but cranial MRI showed no abnormalities .
April 2019: Started receivingvNKT cell immunotherapy.
November 2021: UsedAxitinib targeted therapy (one pill early, one pill late), but was forced to stop due to significant side effects.
April 2022: After communicating with a doctor, attempt a reduction strategy (half a pill early,half a pill late) to take axitinib again.
Since 2013 when I was diagnosed with kidney cancer, and up to now , during which I experienced lung and brain metastasis in 2017, and now I have entered my 11th year of survival. There is no magical therapy, onlyScientific integration and dynamic adjustment"Chronic disease" management strategy,Let advanced kidney cancer truly become a manageable chronic disease. Mr. Chen's successful experience has revealed the key strategy for achieving long-term tumor survival in advanced cancer.
Dynamic monitoring, alert to unexplained pain
The stable phase after cancer surgery or treatment is by no means a permanent cure. Strict adherence to doctor's orders for regular follow-up examinations and continuous monitoring of subtle changes in the body are the foundation of chronic disease management. Mr. Chen in 2017 was able to detect early recurrence and metastasis precisely due to his vigilance towards the symptom of "persistent cough accompanied by chest pain" and timely undergoing comprehensive examinations.
Be vigilant of unexplained pain! Cancer-related pain has its own characteristics: dull or sharp pain in fixed locations (such as bones or specific organ areas), especially intensifying at night. If such symptoms occur, even in the absence of clear evidence of recurrence, one should remain highly vigilant and seek medical attention for investigation in a timely manner.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to tumor treatment. Do not blindly pursue a "tumor-free" state
Facing newly emerging and potentially rapidly fatal brain metastases in 2017, Mr. Chen adopted gamma knife radiotherapy for precise removal, avoiding severe consequences such as nerve compression-induced paralysis. This demonstrates the importance of precise medical treatment in removing major threats, gaining survival time, and seizing treatment opportunities at critical junctures.
Accepting survival with tumors and seeking long-term stability, when the pulmonary metastatic lesions were found to be slowly increasing in 2019, Mr. Chen and his family did not fall into a blind pursuit or panic for a tumor-free state. They learned about the vNKT cell immunotherapy from Professor Zhang Minghui's team at Tsinghua University School of Medicine, hoping it could further control tumor recurrence and metastasis.
Professor Zhang Minghui pointed out that chemoradiotherapy has strong side effects, making it difficult for patients to tolerate for a long time. The core value of vNKT cell therapy lies in its sustainability and high safety.
After the Gamma Knife effectively reduces tumor burden, timely intervention with vNKT cell therapy is administered to continuously identify and suppress residual cancer cells, thereby delaying tumor progression This strategy embodies the core of chronic disease management for cancer patients: effectively controlling the tumor while maximizing the patient's quality of life, enabling Mr. Chen to return to his normal life.
NKT cells (Natural killer T cells) are a special T-cell subset that possesses both T-cell receptor (TCR) and NK cell receptors on their surface. They exhibit important characteristics of both NK cells and T cells, with the dual ability to recognize tumor cells nonspecifically and specifically, and can rapidly kill tumor cells. Within the NKT cell subset, there is a larger and more potent special type of soldier, discovered by Professor Zhang Minghui's research team at Tsinghua University, known as vNKT (Variant Natural Killer T) cells.
This group of vNKT cells is very scarce in the body and is not easily activated. However, once activated, they can single-handedly eliminate those tumor cells that may remain undetected in the body. Additionally, research has found that vNKT cells have dual anti-tumor effects. Not only can they directly kill cancer cells, but they can also regulate the immune microenvironment within tumor tissues, killing inhibitory immune cells such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), breaking tumor immune escape, rebuilding the normal immune system, and further preventing recurrence and metastasis.
Experimental conditions: In the presence of vNKT cells, after 16 hours, nearly all B16 tumor cells were killed!
Confirmation of the efficacy of vNKT cell therapy: The lung imaging examination in July 2023 brought positive feedback, with the nodule in the right upper lobe shrinking compared to before, and the lesion area in the right lower lobe significantly shrinking and showing a cord-like change, with no new lesions or metastasis observed. This strongly demonstrates the significant effect of vNKT therapy in long-term control of tumor recurrence and metastasis.
Balancing efficacy and tolerance of side effects
In the process of tumor treatment, it is necessary to balance efficacy and tolerance to side effects. When treatment brings unbearable side effects, discontinuation is not the only option.
During targeted therapy, Mr. Chen experienced unbearable side effects, forcing him to discontinue the medication. After discussing with his doctor, he attempted to reduce the dosage, and the side effects significantly alleviated. Maintaining treatment with a reduced dosageis superior todirectlydiscontinuing the medication and giving up.
Mr. Chen's 11-year journey against cancer, especially his nearly 7 years of survival with a tumor, exemplifies that managing cancer as a "chronic disease"does not rely solely on a single treatment method to achieve success, but rather on the dynamic monitoring and preciseaddressing of key threatsand the long-termregulationof vNKT cell therapyandvNKT cell therapyfor long-termregulationof the disease.
Late-stage cancertreatmentVictory is not the disappearance of lesions on imaging, but the sunshine outside the window when you wake up in the morning, the companionship of family members, and another year quietly passing on the calendar. The long-term survival goal of cancer patients should focus on: controlling disease progression, maintaining bodily functions, returning to life.
On the road to fighting cancer, you are not aloneFacing cancer, confusion and fear are inevitable. But please believe that scientific progress is constantly broadening the path to survival. If you or your family members are experiencing similar challenges and are eager to learn more about the management of chronic cancer conditions, especially about cutting-edge treatments such as vNKT cell immunotherapy. We are walking together, exploring more possibilities of life.
Experience Sharing: Exchange insights with family members facing similar illnesses, and support each other through the journey
Frontier Information: Gain scientifically reliable knowledge about cancer treatment and recovery
Professional Support: Maintain communication with the medical team to receive more guidance
Warm Companionship: Find strength in understanding and support on the journey against cancer
Reviewed by: Lehe New Medical Department
Editing/typesetting: Zhang Jiao
