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76-year-old Ms. Li has been fighting cancer for many years. Her diagnosis was heavy and suffocating: cholangiocarcinoma. This cunning enemy had already spread far beyond its origin, with bases set up in the pancreas, transverse colon, and liver, even forming a deadly cancer embolus in the portal vein (T3N1M1, Stage IV). To make matters worse, her heart was also under the dual pressure of arteriosclerosis and frequent ventricular premature beats. Since her first surgery, cancer has recurred and metastasized like a stubborn ghost. Chemotherapy, targeted drugs... she tried many weapons, but the disease's march never seemed to stop, and her condition kept worsening. The light of hope dimmed with every blow.
In the second half of 2024, when conventional methods seemed to have reached their limit, a new glimmer of light appeared on Ms. Li's treatment map. The medical team at United Life International Medical Center comprehensively evaluated her complex condition and physical status, proposing an innovative combination treatment plan: immune reconstruction therapy, combined with targeted therapy and carefully administered low-dose chemotherapy. This was not a desperate gamble but an attempt to gently yet precisely awaken her weary immune system while simultaneously suppressing the cancer cells' rampage with a multi-pronged approach.
The battle reignited on September 18.
The "immune reconstruction" plan was like the nectar of hope, slowly infused into Ms. Li’s veins. This was not a one-time assault but a carefully designed treatment course: October 1, October 10, and October 22 marked subsequent immune reconstruction treatments as planned. At the same time, targeted drugs and low-dose chemotherapy quietly joined the battle, forming a collaborative effort. Each treatment was accompanied by her family’s nervous guarding and the medical team’s careful observation.
Perseverance brought unexpected results. After completing the third round of targeted treatment, low-dose chemotherapy, and immune reconstruction, a glimmer of hope pierced through the heavy fog. The latest test results brought long-awaited good news: those once persistently high and worrisome tumor marker levels finally started to decline! Even more encouraging, imaging tests showed signs of shrinkage in the metastatic tumor located near the critical area—the hepatic hilum. These cold medical data instantly transformed into warm hope.
Changes in her body were more intuitive. Once exhausted by illness and repeated treatments, Ms. Li began to feel different. The heavy fatigue seemed to have eased slightly, and a faint strength returned to her body. More importantly, her mental state quietly shifted; the sorrow in her brow lightened, and her eyes once again sparkled with a desire for life and a glimmer of light. Her family was delighted to find that she smiled more, was willing to communicate, as if the vitality of life was slowly being reintroduced into her body.
This was only the result of the first treatment cycle, and the road ahead remains long and full of uncertainties. But for Ms. Li and her family, who had endured countless disappointments, this glimmer of light was incredibly precious. It proved that even in the face of late-stage complex cancer, when it seemed there was no way out, innovative combination therapies could open a window of hope. The decline in tumor markers, shrinkage of metastatic sites, and recovery of physical and mental strength—these small victories, like stars in the night sky, illuminated her courage to continue moving forward and ignited the unwavering belief in her family to never give up. This is a difficult and extraordinary battle, and Ms. Li is using her resilience to find her own dawn in the long night.
