The 22-Year-old Boy Declares War on Ewing's Sarcoma: Persevere and Never Give Up!

Haten is a lively 22-year-old teenager who enjoys sports, particularly playing basketball. He recently started his career and was looking forward to a bright future. Unfortunately, in June 2023, Haten received the devastating news that he had been diagnosed with Ewing's sarcoma, which is a malignant tumor that affects the bones.

Shocked, simple shoulder pain turned out to be a malignant tumor

In July 2022, Hatten noticed an unexplained pain in his left shoulder blade and was unconcerned because he had never considered the fact that he could have a tumor. However, it was just the beginning. Later, he started experiencing frequent illness, accompanied by a persistent fever. He also felt pain in his left scapula after every physical activity and noticed a lump growing on it. In June, Hatten underwent a CT scan and biopsy at the local hospital with his family, and the results revealed that he had Ewing's sarcoma. The tumor size was 3cm, and the news came as a shock to both Hatten and his family. At such a young age, he couldn't believe he was suffering from a tumor.

Hatten 

After the initial shock, Haten and his parents were able to quickly calm down the situation.

"Haten is still very young, we must find the best treatment for him and cure him." This was the first thought of the parents, and they also acted quickly, sending out Haten's pathology report through various channels, they consulted experts in Turkey and Korea, and finally chose St. Stamford Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou.

Hatten said, "Modern Cancer Hospital's staff was extremely helpful, professional, and trustworthy when we first contacted them. They answered all of our questions and provided excellent service”.

Inner peace, treatment abroad is effective

In July 2023, Haten came to St. Stamford Guangzhou Modern Cancer Hospital.

Hatten said, "The first time I came to China, I was still worried about the climate, food, and language here, but the medical staff here is very careful and attentive, and there are interpreters and housekeepers, so any problems can be solved in time. What makes me and my family feel more at ease is that the doctors gave a treatment plan quickly after coming here."

Haten came to the hospital and the medical team made the first inquiry and organized a consultation with MDT experts to determine a suitable treatment plan for Haten.

[Hatten with attending doctors and head nurse]

Dr. Hu, Haten's attending doctor, said: Ewing's sarcoma, a kind of bone tumor that mostly occurs in children and adolescents, mainly occurs in the pelvis, femur, tibia, humerus, and ribs, and also often appears in the soft tissues adjacent to the bones, is a kind of tumor with a high degree of malignancy, and develops in a fast process. Haten's results also proved this point: Haten's tumor was growing rapidly, from the original 3cm to 5cm, but fortunately, there was no distant metastasis. According to Haten's condition and willingness, the hospital formulated the treatment plan of "minimally invasive interventional therapy + radical surgery".

Minimally invasive interventional therapy involves puncturing under the guidance of medical imaging equipment, inserting special catheters and other precision instruments into the vascular channel of the lesion through the arteries, embolizing and blocking the blood vessels with special substances, organically combining anticancer drugs and embolizing agents, and then injecting them into the target arteries together, which will not only block the blood supply, but at the same time the drugs will stay in the tumor area, starving and poisoning the tumor to death. Compared to traditional chemotherapy, interventional therapy is less toxic and less harmful to the body.

Haten said, "I experienced no discomfort during the medical procedure, as the doctor explained the treatment beforehand. I did not feel stressed, and there were no major side effects after the procedure. Although I felt occasional pain during the first intervention, subsequent treatments were much more comfortable. I also noticed a significant reduction in the tumor size, which made me very happy."

After four interventional treatments, the tumor had shrunk to 2cm, which was more than half its original size.

On October 28th, Haten had surgery to remove Ewing's sarcoma from the left scapula and cervical lymph nodes. Postoperative pathology showed: tissue in the scapular region, no tumor residue in the cervical lymph, and tumor efficacy assessment: complete remission

[The left picture shows the CT of the scapula in July: the size of the tumor is about 46mm×79mm and has invaded the scapula]

[The right picture shows the CT of the scapula in October: tumor disappeared]

[The left picture shows the CT of the cervical lymphatic in July: the size of the tumor is about 50mm in diameter]

[The right picture shows the CT of the cervical lymphatic in October: tumor disappeared]

If you don't give up, there's hope

Dr. Hu, who is Haten's attending physician, stated that "Haten is a brave child who has remained emotionally stable throughout his treatment. We are all overjoyed by his initial success, and we are committed to supporting him in his fight against cancer. There are endless possibilities for his future, and we wish him all the best."

Haten would like to share some words of encouragement with fellow patients in the same situation as him. "Please trust the doctors in handling and treating the condition. Our role is to adjust our mindset and not be frustrated or give up. We should believe that the condition will be treated, maintain a positive mindset, and reject any negative thoughts regarding the tumor. We should remain optimistic and hope that good luck will come in the end."