Patients with advanced lung cancer finally defeated death and continued their lives. What an inspirational story.
The patient's name is Stephen Bonister. In 20 years, he was diagnosed with cancer seven times, three of which were in his right lung!
At the end of last year, cancer returned to Stephen's right upper lung, and the last treatment was completed in February 2020. This time, the attending physician suggested that he adopt proton therapy, which lasted for one month, with a total of 30 rounds. During the treatment, Stephen did not feel serious discomfort and did not affect his daily work.
A few months after the treatment, Stephen's focus disappeared, and the doctor said the effect was particularly remarkable. At present, cancer has not developed in a malignant direction.
33 times of electrotherapy, it took tens of millions to successfully fight cancer.
On 20 18, Li Zongwei, a famous Malaysian badminton player, was diagnosed with nasal cancer. Fortunately, cancer was found earlier. After two years of anti-cancer, the doctor announced that he had miraculously recovered.
In an interview, Li Zongwei recalled his anti-cancer process, saying that he had been treated with electrotherapy for 33 times, and then his throat was completely broken. You need to spray anesthetic when you eat, and you will secretly cry when you take a shower. At the doctor's suggestion, he adopted the most advanced proton diagnosis and treatment technology for anti-cancer treatment. Although his body recovered, he also paid a high price-nearly 6,543,800+million for treatment.
First, proton therapy has gradually landed in China.
Perhaps many people have only heard of general radiotherapy, chemotherapy and targeted therapy, but little is known about proton therapy. In fact, proton therapy has become a hot topic in the industry. In the basement of Shanghai Proton Heavy Ion Hospital, a patient was lying on a treatment bed and was irradiated by high-energy particles for more than 20 minutes.
The patient just needs to lie in the posture fixing mold tailored for him, motionless. The whole process is like resting in bed, without any pain or strange feeling.
After half a century of clinical application and research, proton therapy technology has become more and more mature. From a global perspective, the proton therapy technology and equipment in the United States and Japan are more advanced.
This cutting-edge technology, known as the "top match" in the field of radiotherapy, has huge funds. Due to its remarkable therapeutic advantages, proton therapy centers are still welcoming a wave of construction all over the world, and China is no exception. In recent years, more and more scientific research institutions and hospitals in China have invested in the research and development, construction and operation of proton therapy, with more than 70 projects under construction or planning.
The second is the most advanced and cutting-edge radiotherapy technology.
Proton therapy is undoubtedly the top treatment method in the industry at present. We all know that radiotherapy cuts tumors through α, β and γ rays, while proton therapy is version 2.0 of radiotherapy.
Protons are positively charged particles after electrons are stripped by hydrogen atoms, and heavy ions are positively charged particles with large atomic weights such as carbon, neon and silicon. Proton particles are extremely small, and one trillion protons in a straight line are about one millimeter long. Through this device, protons aim at the patient's tumor with submillimeter accuracy, while protecting nearby healthy tissues and minimizing side effects. This is proton therapy.
Jiang Guoliang, director of the Technical Committee of Shanghai Proton Heavy Ion Hospital, said that this technology has obvious advantages in radiation physics and biology compared with conventional radiotherapy.
Professor Gao Xianshu from the Radiotherapy Department of the First Hospital of Peking University said that as long as the radiation dose is large enough, there will be no tumor cells that can't die. The advantage of proton heavy ion is that it is extremely fast under the control of computer, and less energy is released at the front of the range. The doctor "aims" at the tumor location, and the high-energy particles release most of the energy instantly at a specific depth, and then the energy decays rapidly.
In a word, protons can kill tumors quickly, mercilessly and accurately, but have little effect on the surrounding healthy cells.
Third, these tumors are more suitable for proton therapy?
Proton therapy has obvious advantages. Can it be used for all tumors?
First of all, we should understand that proton therapy is also a kind of radiotherapy, and not all patients are suitable for radiotherapy, such as gastrointestinal tumors. The stomach and intestines are irregular, so it is impossible to locate protons accurately, so this treatment method cannot be used. In addition, patients with hematological tumors, patients with many lesions and patients who have received multiple radiotherapy are not suitable for proton therapy.
So, which tumors have the best effect with proton therapy?
First, childhood tumors, most of which are suitable for proton therapy; Secondly, adult tumors mostly occur in sensitive organs, such as intracranial tumors, spinal cord tumor's, esophageal cancer, head and neck cancer, lung cancer and so on.
Fourth, how many patients can afford it?
Proton therapy is the best choice for patients with high safety, small side effects and good curative effect. The most important thing is that the treatment process is painless.
But its disadvantage is that it is expensive.
At present, proton therapy technology is developed in the United States, Germany and Japan, and many patients in China choose to do it in these three countries.
The United States is the first country to apply proton therapy to clinic. In the United States, the cost of proton therapy is generally 30,000 ~10.2 million dollars, which is about 21~ 840,000 yuan.
The cost of treatment in Japan is relatively low, about 3 million yen, equivalent to about RMB 6.5438+0.8 million; Germany needs 50,000-60,000 euros, or about 400,000 yuan.
At present, proton therapy is being introduced in China, and the treatment cost is about RMB 278,000 per course. Patients only need to do 1 course of treatment (usually within 4-6 weeks). In contrast, although it is not as cheap as Japan, the price is still moderate. However, for ordinary families, it is still a big expense.
Proton therapy is good, but not everyone can afford it, nor can everyone use it. Xiao Jiu still said: The expensive ones are not necessarily good, and the cheap ones are not necessarily bad. What suits you is the best.