Doctors at the Taipei Medical University Hospital (TMUH) were cautiously optimistic about the cryotherapy technology the university imported last year to treat patients suffering from inoperable liver cancer.
TMUH is the only hospital in Taiwan using an argon-helium "knife," Huang Ming-de (黃銘德) said during a press conference at the hospital.
Since importing the machine in March last year, almost thirty patients have undergone the less-invasive treatment. Either in conjunction with traditional surgery or through "keyhole surgery" performed with a laparoscope, the argon-helium knife works by freezing the tumor with a blast of liquid argon-helium gas.
"We can destroy an area of up to 8cm in diameter, cooling the tumor to as much as minus 260oC," Huang said. "Once the knife is withdrawn, the tumor shatters upon exposure to body heat."
"It is not for everyone and it is not a miracle cure," he said. "But it is another item in our arsenal against liver cancer," adding that surgical excision is still the preferred treatment.
Seventy percent to 80 percent of lung cancer patients are ineligible for surgery, however, because of tumors that are too big or the presence of too many cancerous sites.
"Studies abroad seem to indicate that in suitable patients, cryoknife surgery might extend life by one year to 33 months," he said.
A point in favor of the therapy is that its intrusiveness is minimal, Huang said.
A 67-year-old woman whose breast cancer metastasized to her liver was able to leave the hospital the same day she received argon-helium knife therapy, he said.
"The woman refused an operation to remove the tumor on her liver because she had gone through so many surgeries and chemotherapy treatments already," Huang said. "But we were able to convince her to [try] cryotherapy."
The woman underwent the procedure three months ago, Huang said.
The treatment is not covered by the National Health Insurance and the woman had to pay NT$70,000 for the treatment, including anes-thesiology costs.
"It is too early to tell if the tumor will return," Huang said.
"But the patient's quality of life has increased and she was able to diminish use of chemotherapy medication and even go on a holiday to China," he said.
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
TEMPORAL/SPIRITUAL: Beijing’s claim that the next Buddhist leader must come from China is a heavy-handed political maneuver that will fall flat-faced, experts said China’s requirement that the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation to be born in China and approved by Beijing has drawn criticism, with experts at a forum in Taipei yesterday saying that if Beijing were to put forth its own Dalai Lama, the person would not be recognized by the Tibetan Buddhist community. The experts made a remarks at the two-day forum hosted by the Tibet Religious Foundation of His Holiness the Dalai Lama titled: “The Snow Land Forum: Finding Common Ground on Tibet.” China says it has the right to determine the Dalai Lama’s reincarnation, as it claims sovereignty over Tibet since ancient times,
RSS