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Aunt Zhang, a 60-year-old librarian who works at a community library, has been in good health in the past, but recently she has started vomiting frequently, which has bothered her.
"What's wrong with me? Could it be that you have a bad stomach? Aunt Zhang said to her friend Aunt Wang after rushing out of the bathroom again and again. The doctors at the hospital recommend a gastroscopy to see if there is a stomach disorder.
Aunt Zhang nervously waited for the results, and the results were unexpected - there was nothing abnormal in the gastroscopy. The doctor said to her, "Aunt Zhang, your stomach is very healthy, and there are no ulcers or other obvious problems. ”
Aunt Zhang breathed a sigh of relief, but her symptoms did not improve. In the following year, Aunt Zhang continued to seek various treatments, from traditional Chinese medicine conditioning to Western medicine medication, but there was no cure.
Today, a year later, Aunt Zhang suddenly felt abdominal pain and vomiting, and after the examination, she had advanced pancreatic cancer. The doctor explained that pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect in the early stages because it usually does not show obvious symptoms until the cancer has progressed to an advanced stage.
Aunt Zhang's condition has attracted the attention of the medical community, as her case reminds doctors that even if the results of a routine gastroscopy are normal, the possibility of other digestive diseases cannot be completely ruled out.
Pancreatic cancer has become a medical problem due to the insidious nature of its symptoms and the complexity of its diagnosis. When the tumour grows to a certain size, it will show symptoms such as jaundice, abdominal pain, or unexplained vomiting like Aunt Zhang.
During Zhang's treatment, doctors tried to control the progression of the disease through chemotherapy and targeted therapy, but the treatment effect was limited because the cancer was already advanced.
Before her death, she spent her last days with her family, and her experience made her family and friends deeply aware of the importance of health and the need for regular check-ups.
During the treatment, Aunt Zhang often asked the doctor: "If I could have found it earlier, would I have been able to treat it earlier, and the result would have been different?" This issue has also become a frequent topic of discussion between her family and doctors.
The doctor replied, "Aunt Zhang, it is true that if we had found it earlier, we could have more treatment options and there might have been different results." This also reminds us that we should have a more comprehensive interpretation and understanding of the results of physical examinations, especially for those diseases that are highly insidious, such as pancreatic cancer. ”
This answer is not only an answer to Aunt Zhang, but also an important reminder for all patients. As doctors say, pancreatic cancer is indeed a disease that is difficult to detect early, which also brings great challenges to treatment.
In Zhang's case, if pancreatic abnormalities can be detected at an early stage through specific biomarkers or advanced imaging techniques, there may be a chance to surgically remove the tumor, thereby greatly improving the survival rate.
For the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, in addition to routine imaging examinations, the monitoring of some highly specific tumor markers such as CA19-9 and CEA is also particularly important. In clinical practice, physicians are also increasingly advocating for an integrated approach to treatment.
In addition to surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy have shown good results in some cases. The development of these new treatments has brought more hope to pancreatic cancer patients.
Aunt Zhang's story touched her family and friends around her. After her death, her family decided to donate to the Pancreatic Cancer Experiment, hoping to help scientists find more effective treatments to reduce the impact of the condition on other families.
Aunt Zhang's daughter, one day after her mother's death, asked her doctor a question about pancreatic cancer prevention: "Doctor, is there any way to reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer for others in our family?" ”
The doctor replied, "It is very important for families with a family history of pancreatic cancer to have regular pancreatic exams. We can use techniques such as endoscopic ultrasound to observe the condition of the pancreas and detect any abnormalities early. For individuals at higher genetic risk, it is also a good option to participate in genetic counseling and consider genetic testing. ”
In this way, Zhang's family has gained more information on how to cope with and prevent this serious illness, and has become more aware of the importance of actively participating in medical and health management.
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