Drinking beer like water... Men's cancer keeps recurring!, Smoking 100 cigarettes per day
Recently, the movie "Oppenheimer" has been a hit, and Oppenheimer's life is full of legends, with victories and tragedies coexisting.
In reality, when Oppenheimer was 62 years old, he died of throat cancer, which was related to one of his lifestyle habits: he used to smoke a lot and became addicted to smoking throughout his life. It is said that he smokes 100 cigarettes a day, and the cigarette in his mouth even becomes his symbol.
A doctor from the Head and Neck Surgery Department of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital has also treated a special patient with oropharyngeal cancer: he started smoking and drinking alcohol at the age of 15, smoking 100 cigarettes a day and drinking beer as water.
Smoking 100 cigarettes a day,
Drink beer as water
Mr. Li, who is 44 years old, comes from a coastal city in Zhejiang Province. He has been receiving treatment from Ye Zhimin, the deputy chief physician of the Head and Neck Radiotherapy Department at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, for six to seven years.
Mr. Li was first diagnosed with a tumor in 2015, when he was 36 years old. He underwent a total laryngectomy for pharyngeal cancer in another hospital, but it recurred a year later. He came to Zhejiang Cancer Hospital under his name.
"We asked about his medical history and were shocked to hear him talk about his lifestyle habits," Ye Zhimin said, leaving a deep impression on Mr. Li.
According to Mr. Li and his family, he started smoking and drinking at the age of 15. Because he owns a factory and comes from a wealthy family who dotes on him, Mr. Li lives a more carefree life. He smokes cigarettes every day and smokes 5 packs of Chinese cigarettes a day, which translates to 100 cigarettes.
Not only does he smoke, but he also drinks heavily and hardly drinks water. He drinks beer as water and pairing it with cigarettes is his daily routine.
"He himself said that at most, he drank nearly a hundred bottles of beer in a day," Ye Zhimin and his colleagues found it unbelievable.
Anyway, such a history of smoking and drinking is a high-risk factor for cancer.
Mr. Li's hypopharyngeal cancer has progressed to oropharyngeal cancer. He underwent a total esophageal resection surgery at Zhejiang Cancer Hospital and the surgical results were good.
Having lost his throat and esophagus, Mr. Li was unable to speak and could only eat rice paste. At the same time, he had a stomach stoma and couldn't drink alcohol, but he still went his own way and smoked every day.
Poor treatment compliance,
Cancer keeps recurring
In 2020, Mr. Li experienced cervical lymph node metastasis, with a tumor that was four to five centimeters in size. He came to see the doctor again.
"He was already in Phase 4 at the time, and we developed a treatment plan for him, which included a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy," said Ye Zhimin.
But Mr. Li's compliance is very poor, he firmly refuses chemotherapy, and the radiotherapy process does not follow the doctor's guidance.
"We have done a lot of work for him before and after, talking to him personally and his family, but he has strong autonomy and can't listen at all." Ye Zhimin learned that before Mr. Li came for treatment, he also underwent immunotherapy in a local hospital. "Because he has too strong autonomy, the treatment site is also very non-standard and intermittent."
Helpless, Ye Zhimin could only provide radiation therapy for Mr. Li. Fortunately, the metastatic lymph nodes were under control. But two years later, Mr. Li experienced lymph node metastasis again in his lower neck, accompanied by lung metastasis.
"After the second radiotherapy, the metastatic lesion disappeared, but in July of this year, the patient's trapezius muscle developed lymph nodes. He injected medication into the tumor himself, causing a secondary infection and it came back to us." Mr. Li's action made Ye Zhimin laugh and cry.
After the infection was controlled, Mr. Li, who was stubborn, refused to receive further treatment and insisted on being discharged and returning home.
After all these years of medical practice, Ye Zhimin has encountered a patient who is addicted to smoking and drinking, and has such poor compliance. "Smoking and drinking are already high-risk factors for inducing cancer, and their intake is particularly high. They do not follow the standard treatment plan for treatment, which is really frustrating."
Cancer patients with a history of smoking and drinking,
Easy to develop multiple cancers
"From a clinical perspective, many patients with head and neck tumors have a history of smoking. Both cigarettes and alcohol are prone to cancer." Jiang Feng, the director of the head and neck radiation therapy department, explained that cancer patients with a history of smoking and alcohol are more likely to develop multiple types of cancer, with one-third of them developing multiple types of tumors within 5 years. "This is regional cancer."
Among the patients treated by Jiang Feng, there was once a patient who developed 5 types of cancer in a row, including those in the mouth, throat, esophagus, lungs, etc.
"Heavy drinking in the short term will do the same harm to the body as a small amount of drinking in the long term." Jiang Feng said that, according to the recommendation of the World Health Organization, the amount of alcohol consumed by each person every day should be less than 15 grams. "From this perspective, no matter what you drink, Baijiu, beer and yellow rice wine, as long as they contain alcohol, the amount of alcohol consumed exceeds the limit, will damage your health."
Jiang Feng said that the high-risk age for head and neck tumors is after the age of 60. Mr. Li was diagnosed with pharyngeal cancer at the age of 36, which is clearly an early onset of cancer. "This is closely related to his habit of smoking and drinking," he said
Every cigarette you smoke will leave marks on your body
People with a history of smoking and drinking have a higher risk of developing cancer than those who do not smoke or drink. Previous studies have shown that smokers only have the same risk of developing cancer as non-smokers 10 years after quitting smoking.
"Some patients may say, 'I've been quitting smoking for two or three years now, why do I still get cancer?' During our science education, we often say, 'Every drop of alcohol you drink or every cigarette you smoke will leave a mark on you.' It is precisely for these reasons that Jiang Feng wants to remind everyone: quit smoking and drinking as early as possible.".
Jiang Feng also reminded that for head and neck tumors, besides tobacco and alcohol being high-risk factors, HPV virus can also easily cause tumors in the oral and pharyngeal areas. "However, in terms of treatment effectiveness, the cure rate caused by HPV virus can reach about 80% for the same type of oral and pharyngeal cancer, but if it is caused by tobacco and alcohol, the average cure rate may only be 50%."
Although Mr. Li, who had relapsed again, was unwilling to receive standardized treatment, he finally quit smoking about three years ago after repeated persuasion from medical staff.
"Smoking, drinking alcohol, and staying up late are all bad habits that can be improved." Jiang Feng also wants to remind everyone again that it is best to develop good habits of reasonable diet and exercise. "Unfortunately, if you have a tumor, no matter where you treat it, you need to have good compliance and undergo standardized treatment in order to have a better prognosis."
