LINE

Text:AAAPrint
Society

Specialist's precision strikes put dent in 'Cantonese cancer'

1
2019-04-24 10:22:55China Daily Editor : Mo Hong'e ECNS App Download
Ma Jun and his team work at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.(Photo provided to China Daily)

Ma Jun and his team work at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.(Photo provided to China Daily)

Every year, about 5,000 people with potentially deadly head and neck cancer come to Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, the world's busiest medical facility treating the disease.

Ma Jun, a specialist in nasopharyngeal cancer who has worked at the hospital in Guangdong province for 34 years, says every patient has a heart-wrenching story.

"As a doctor, you never forget where you start. You want to help them live and help them live better," Ma said.

The cancer is a rare type, but more common in southern China, which accounts for about 47 percent of the world's total new cases every year.

It is sometimes called Cantonese cancer, as the incidence in Guangdong - 30 cases per 100,000 people - is more than 30 times higher than the rest of the world.

When Ma was a visiting scholar in the United States, he found many patients were Chinese-American, and most of their families were originally from Guangdong.

An epidemiology study in 2010 traced the risk gene for this type of cancer to the Baiyue people, an ethnic group that lived in the area more than 2,000 years ago.

In 1998, the US National Comprehensive Cancer Network proposed concomitant radiotherapy and chemotherapy along with three courses of intensified adjuvant chemotherapy afterward to treat patients with advanced nasopharyngeal cancer. It became the standard treatment for advanced cases around the world.

For years, Ma has wondered if it really worked for Chinese people.

In a large-scale randomized clinical study over a period of eight years, Ma found Chinese patients with advanced nasopharyngeal cancer suffered more side effects than benefits from the additional chemotherapy, which cost about 13,400 yuan ($2,000) per patient.

The findings, published in the journal Lancet Oncology in 2012, drew the attention of Western experts, and the United States and Europe revised their treatment guidelines.

More recently, Ma added a new drug to the original dual drug chemotherapy regimen, and moved post-radiotherapy chemotherapy to pre-radiotherapy.

In another clinical study of 480 cases, Ma and his team found that this regimen increased the five-year survival rate of patients by 8 percent.

The nasopharynx is in the upper part of the pharynx behind the nose, connecting the nostrils and throat. The location makes it hard for doctors to operate, so radiotherapy is the first choice.

Ma described the early radiation as carpet bombing, saying it causes collateral damage in the area around the tumor. A "satellite map" is needed for a precision strike, he said.

Ma and his team put forward an individualized irradiation range and dose standard for radiotherapy. The result is a clear picture showing high - and low-risk areas, which then allows dose stratification.

In 2014, an atlas of organs at risk in nasopharyngeal cancer patients was published in Radiotherapy and Oncology. It suggested tailoring both radiation doses and targets, and setting a recommended safety dose for protecting 33 normal organs around the nasopharynx.

Today, the five-year overall survival rate for patients exceeds 80 percent at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, while the rate of severe side effects from radiotherapy has dropped by 24 percent.

Ma, who has won China's National Science and Technology Award twice with his team, is grateful to more than 10,000 patients who have participated in his research, saying their courage is behind the progress in the treatment.

"I wish every patient could get precision treatment," he says.

Related news

MorePhoto

Most popular in 24h

MoreTop news

MoreVideo

News
Politics
Business
Society
Culture
Military
Sci-tech
Entertainment
Sports
Odd
Features
Biz
Economy
Travel
Travel News
Travel Types
Events
Food
Hotel
Bar & Club
Architecture
Gallery
Photo
CNS Photo
Video
Video
Learning Chinese
Learn About China
Social Chinese
Business Chinese
Buzz Words
Bilingual
Resources
ECNS Wire
Special Coverage
Infographics
Voices
LINE
Back to top Links | About Us | Jobs | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
Copyright ©1999-2019 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.