Miracle of a doctor surviving 5 years of metastatic lung cancer

With no signs of pain other than a persistent cough, Dr. Do Quoc Hung at the National Heart Institute (Hanoi) discovered he had late-stage lung cancer after taking a chest X-ray.

Associate Professor Do Quoc Hung, former head of Department C7, National Heart Institute (Hanoi). The story of Associate Professor Hung's fight against lung cancer was shared by Professor Mai Trong Khoa, Director of the Center for Nuclear Medicine and Oncology, Deputy Director of Bach Mai Hospital as a miracle, a fairy tale in everyday life.

Associate Professor Hung discovered he had late-stage lung cancer more than 5 years ago. At that time, his cough lasted for 3-4 weeks and he took medicine for a long time without getting better. Dr. Hung went for an X-ray and discovered a tumor in his lung. This result surprised Dr. Hung and many of his colleagues because before that, he was still healthy and had no pain except for a persistent cough. Until he discoveredThe cancer had spread to the spine, bone marrow... After a while, the tumor spread to the brain.

Professor Mai Trong Khoa, Director of the Center for Nuclear Medicine and Oncology, Deputy Director of Bach Mai Hospital, shares about the illness of his colleague Do Quoc Hung. Photo: Nam Phuong.

Professor Khoa said that Dr. Hung's condition was too late at that time, the brain tumor could not be operated on, if operated on, death would be certain. In theory, these cases can only be treated symptomatically and given palliative care. However, with determination, absolute adherence to the treatment regimen, and the application of the most advanced techniques such asPET/CT scan, gamma knife radiosurgeryy...,Doctor Hung has defeated the disease, the entire tumor is gone.

Doctors have applied a combination of different methods to their colleague, including chemotherapy, targeted drugs, etc. to treat tumors in many different locations.With cancer, patients who survive 5 years after being diagnosed are considered cured. "The case of Dr. Hung being cured of the disease when it was in the final stage is truly a miracle for the Vietnamese medical industry and for the patient himself," Professor Khoa commented.

According to Professor Khoa, cCurrent imaging techniques can only detect lesions when tumors have formed and are large enough. PET/CT scans - positron emission tomography - help detect tumors when other tools cannot. It helps doctorsaccurately diagnose the stage of the disease and how far the tumor has metastasized.

In addition, doctors also use PET/CT images to simulate radiation treatment plans. The location of the tumor is clearly determined so that the technician directs the radiation beam close to the tumor, covering the surrounding healthy lesions. Thanks to that, the treatment is more effective, without missing any lesions.

With brain tumors like Associate Professor Hung’s, surgery is almost impossible. Instead, the patient is treated with a rotating gamma knife. The powerful beams converge on a tumor point, protecting healthy tissues. This technique is applied to treat tumors in inoperable locations, those that have recurred after surgery, and small lesions deep inside…

According to VNE