Chapter 384: Chapter 384: Better to Wear Down Cancer Than to Battle It

The concept of "living with cancer" piqued the father and daughter’s interest.

Li Xu explained in detail, "’Living with cancer’ means exactly what it sounds like. We’re not trying to completely eliminate every single cancer cell in the body."

"Cancer cells are a type of mutated human cell, like rogue elements in the body. Western medicine’s approach to treating cancer often focuses on ’eliminating all cancer cells,’ which is why they use methods like radical surgery and high-dose chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

While these methods can sometimes rapidly kill cancer cells,

they also often cause immense trauma to the patient’s body, even damaging their healthy immune system and leaving them in agony."

He glanced at Tang Zhanhu.

The man, who was suffering terribly from the side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, was the perfect proof of his point.

"On the other hand, the approach of Traditional Chinese Medicine is closer to the ’one-third’ principle for cancer proposed by the World Health Organization in the 1980s," Li Xu continued.

"That is, one-third of cancers can be cured, one-third of patients can live with their tumors, and for the remaining one-third, life can be prolonged.

The TCM concept of ’living with cancer’ involves using herbal medicine to regulate the body, bringing the cancer cells into a controlled state so they no longer spread or worsen.

At the same time, it alleviates the patient’s suffering, improves their quality of life, and helps the body and the tumor reach a state of relatively balanced coexistence."

Miaoli from the internal medicine department, having no patients at the moment, had also come over to listen in.

She thought Li Xu explained it very well.

He made complex concepts clear and easy to understand.

"Moreover, as modern medicine’s research into cancer deepens, Western treatment principles have also gradually begun to emphasize the patient’s overall condition, recognizing that effective treatment doesn’t necessarily require the complete eradication of the tumor."

Li Xu then presented a stunning idea. "In fact, you could say that every adult body, to some extent, likely contains some undiscovered tumor cells. In a way, most of us are already in a state of ’unknowingly living with a tumor.’" 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Huh?"

Tang Xiaoxia was stunned.

This idea completely upended her understanding.

Li Xu smiled, knowing this viewpoint was a bit of a shock to them.

"As human cells continuously divide, there’s always a chance for some mutations to occur. Some of these mutated cells are benign, while others might develop into cancer cells."

Li Xu explained, "Fortunately, our body’s immune system is incredibly powerful. Most of the time, these mutated cells are promptly identified and eliminated by the immune system. Only a small fraction that aren’t cleared away have the potential to develop into tumors. And among those few tumors, the vast majority are benign lesions, so there’s no need for excessive worry."

He then elaborated on the specific concept of "living with a tumor":

"’Living with a tumor’ refers to a state where, after treatment, the patient’s body and the tumor exist in a relative balance.

The tumor cells might become static or enter a dormant state, no longer undergoing uncontrolled growth and spreading. The patient’s physical condition is good, they have no obvious symptoms, and they can live and work normally.

It’s like I said earlier: many adults may have small tumors in their bodies but never develop the disease in their entire lives. This is a form of ’unknowingly living with a tumor.’"

"You could even say that Western medicine’s current understanding and treatment principles for tumors are gradually starting to align with Traditional Chinese Medicine’s holistic view, treating cancer as a type of chronic illness."

Li Xu concluded, "Therefore, when treating cancer, TCM follows the principle of ’wearing down the cancer rather than fighting it head-on.’ If a cure is possible, we aim for a radical cure. If a complete cure isn’t possible, the goal becomes prolonging life and improving its quality."

After hearing Li Xu’s explanation, Tang Xiaoxia felt her tense nerves relax considerably.

’So cancer doesn’t have to be a hopeless dead end. There’s another way.’

She looked at her father, a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"Dr. Li, what you’ve said makes so much sense."

Tang Xiaoxia sighed. "If I had brought my dad to see you earlier, maybe things wouldn’t be like this now."

Li Xu waved his hand. "Ms. Tang, you can’t look at it that way. Both Traditional Chinese and Western medicine have their own strengths. In the early stages of cancer, or when a tumor is confined to a specific area, Western surgery can quickly and effectively remove the lesion. That’s something TCM can’t compare to. So, you can’t say one is better than the other. The key is to choose the most appropriate treatment plan based on the patient’s specific situation."

After finishing his explanation, Li Xu looked at Tang Zhanhu. "Sir, may I take your pulse now?"

Tang Zhanhu hadn’t planned on cooperating.

But after hearing Li Xu’s explanation, many of his doubts had dissipated.

He extended his hand, placed it on the Pulse Pillow on the examination table, and cooperated fully.

Li Xu gently placed three fingers on his wrist, carefully feeling Tang Zhanhu’s pulse.

The pulse was deep, thready, and weak; forceless and choppy.

Next, Li Xu had Tang Zhanhu stick out his tongue so he could observe its coating.

The tongue body was pale white, the coating was thin and sparse, and in some areas, even peeling.

Combining Tang Zhanhu’s symptoms—intermittent stomach pain, general fatigue, and weakness and soreness in his lower back and knees—with his history of recurrent kidney cancer with bone metastasis,

Li Xu quickly arrived at a diagnosis.

Although the information he had didn’t include Tang Zhanhu’s treatment plan,

Li Xu had made rapid progress recently.

He might not be able to cure the man’s cancer,

but he could at least provide proper treatment.

Just as Li Xu was about to announce the treatment plan, he saw Miaoli listening with great interest off to the side and said with a smile, "Dr. Miao, would you like to make a diagnosis?"

Miaoli was taken aback and pointed at herself. "Me?"

"Yes." Li Xu nodded.

"Alright."

Miaoli didn’t hesitate.

The District Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine had relatively few patients,

especially cancer patients, of whom they saw very few.

She wasn’t willing to miss such a rare learning opportunity.

After getting Tang Zhanhu’s consent, Miaoli stepped forward to take his pulse.

As she carefully felt Tang Zhanhu’s pulse, her brow furrowed slightly.

"The pulse is thready, weak, and forceless. The tongue is pale, and the coating is sparse."

Miaoli muttered to herself.

Her initial judgment was that the patient was suffering from a deficiency of both qi and blood.

She looked at Li Xu and said, a little uncertainly, "Dr. Li, the patient’s pulse is thready and weak, the tongue body is pale white with a sparse coating. This should be a sign of qi and blood deficiency. A thready, forceless pulse could also indicate a depletion of essence and blood, internal obstruction by pathogenic dampness, and other conditions..."

Li Xu nodded, affirming Miaoli’s diagnostic reasoning. "That’s right, your pattern identification is very accurate. So, given that it’s a deficiency of qi and blood and a depletion of essence and blood, how do you think we should treat it?"

Hearing this, Miaoli hesitated.

Although she could identify the pattern, she was unsure about the specific treatment strategy.

After all, this was a critical patient with recurrent and metastatic kidney cancer.

Her experience was still limited, and she didn’t dare to jump to a conclusion.

Li Xu smiled and began to explain in detail.

"We say the kidneys are the root of prenatal essence, where essence is stored; the spleen is the root of postnatal constitution, governing transportation and transformation, and the generation of qi and blood.

When the kidney essence is deficient, essence and blood become insufficient. When the spleen and stomach are weak, there is no source for the generation of qi and blood.

Essence and blood share the same source; qi and blood generate each other.

Insufficient kidney essence will affect the spleen and stomach’s transportation and transformation; a weak spleen and stomach will, in turn, aggravate the depletion of kidney essence.

This forms a vicious cycle, leading the patient to a state of dual deficiency of the spleen and kidneys, as well as insufficient qi and blood."