Surgery Godfather
Chapter 1327 - 1003: The Life-Saving Medicine is Right Beside You

Chapter 1327: Chapter 1003: The Life-Saving Medicine is Right Beside You

Although Fu Xiaotao’s mother maintained an unfriendly expression on her face, Yang Ping did not care about such matters and did not expend any extra energy to focus on this issue. If it were another doctor, they would definitely pay close attention to the family’s attitude; if family members were opposed or distrustful, treatment would be put on hold, unless it was an emergency life-saving treatment.

Not long after Yang Ping left the oncology department, a doctoral student brought an informed consent document for the research treatment for Fu Xiaotao to sign. Of course, when it came time to sign, Fu Xiaotao couldn’t avoid a dispute with his mother, because she believed that experimental treatment was tantamount to using her son as a lab rat. In her opinion, signing the document would be like selling her son’s health to the hospital, to Professor Yang, an absolutely unacceptable act.

Conversely, the father’s opinion was exactly the opposite. He believed that since traditional treatments were confirmed to be ineffective, why not try a new method, at least there would still be a glimmer of hope. Fu Xiaotao’s illness hadn’t been correctly diagnosed in so many hospitals, but here, a diagnosis was quickly obtained through a pathological examination, providing every reason to trust in the doctor’s expertise.

A three-to-two majority decision allowed Fu Xiaotao to smoothly complete the signing. In truth, Fu Xiaotao wasn’t dismissing his mother’s views, but her opinions were often based on prejudiced subjective judgments, completely unworthy of consideration. She even demanded to take Fu Xiaotao to see a master, which he didn’t attend, leaving his mother to go alone. She spent sixty thousand yuan on a pillow that was supposed to cure diseases.

Money was spent and the pillow bought, yet it did not have the expected therapeutic effect and in the end, they were still rushing to the hospital to save a life.

Even at this moment of life and death, Fu Xiaotao held strongly to his convictions; he signed the informed consent to participate in the experiment and was smoothly transferred to the Surgical Research Institute. At the institute, Fu Xiaotao had many vials of blood drawn for tests he had never undergone before. Many of the tests were not standard hospital assays but rather biochemical exams looking into various pathways of the human immune system.

Such tests could not be completed in other hospitals, and those hospitals wouldn’t even think to conduct them, because Sanbo Hospital boasts several strong foundational medical laboratories, thus possessing the capability to conduct such examinations.

A few days later, all of Fu Xiaotao’s test results were in, and Yang Ping personally went to the laboratory to see them. Tang Shun pulled up the research findings on the computer, "From these biochemical analyses, it seems that the key to the disease should be the mTOR signaling pathway."

Tang Shun wasn’t a clinical doctor; his expertise lay in foundational medical research. For a doctorate well-versed in basic medicine, utilizing these tests to identify which signaling pathway was involved was quite straightforward, as such tasks were routine for them. Meanwhile, for clinical doctors, research into signaling pathways was seldom touched upon, a highly sophisticated area of technology. Even some clinicians skilled in research severely lacked comprehensive biochemical knowledge, highlighting the chasm between specialties.

Yang Ping carefully analyzed each test result, everything was so clear, indeed, the crux of the problem had been identified as the mTOR signaling pathway. If the mTOR pathway could be blocked, then could the disease be cured? Theoretically, it must be so.

This bold idea thrilled Yang Ping. He had found a new approach for treating Castleman’s disease. Whether it would work or not still needed to be tested in practice.

Tang Shun was now somewhat troubled, "But what drug should be used to block the mTOR signaling pathway?"

"Sirolimus, used for anti-rejection therapy after kidney transplantation!" Song Zimo blurted out, as this was a drug very familiar to clinicians.

Utilizing Sirolimus to block the mTOR signaling pathway for treating Castleman’s disease would not require any approval processes, as Sirolimus was not a new drug. It had been used clinically for a long time, specifically to block the mTOR signaling pathway in anti-rejection therapy for kidney transplants.

"Should we stop the chemotherapy and administer Sirolimus to him?" Song Zimo also became excited. No doctor could contain their excitement at such a moment.

Yang Ping decisively said, "Stop all chemotherapy, stop hormone treatments, only use Sirolimus for treatment, and start immediately."

Without a rich combination of basic medical knowledge and clinical medical expertise, it would have been impossible to overturn the accepted model of interleukin-6 pathogenesis. This shows the importance of having a comprehensive grasp of relevant knowledge in the field of medicine; without it, doctors would forever be trapped within the cocoon of their specialized knowledge.

The chasm between basic medical science and clinical medicine is vast, and the tools at the disposal of clinicians when facing problems in clinical settings are extremely limited—not to mention the more advanced techniques. Meanwhile, basic medical science is often unaware of what specific issues are being faced in clinical medicine. A very small number of doctors who are able to bridge both fields often make remarkable academic achievements, such as a professor from the anesthesiology department at Huaxi Hospital, who combined his pharmacology knowledge with clinical insights to develop a whole new local anesthetic.

Returning to the ward, Yang Ping sought out Fu Xiaotao for another discussion, which was held in the meeting room instead of the ward to avoid unnecessary distractions.

"We’ve found a new mechanism for Castleman disease and a new treatment drug. Fortunately, the new drug is actually a well-established medication that has been used for years, but it was never used to treat Castleman disease. Instead, it was used to prevent organ rejection after kidney transplants. Based on its performance in preventing rejection after kidney transplants, it should be effective for your condition, because it targets the same mechanism," Yang Ping explained his discovery to Fu Xiaotao.

Song Zimo also stepped in to add some details, "We plan to start the new treatment for you as soon as possible, stopping all the previous chemotherapy and hormone treatments."

Although Fu Xiaotao had read a lot of material on Castleman disease, he was, after all, a layman compared to a doctor, so he replied without hesitation, "I will comply with your treatment plan. If I need to sign anything, I can do it anytime."

"Sirolimus!" something suddenly came to Fu Xiaotao’s mind.

"Yes, Sirolimus!" Yang Ping confirmed with certainty.

Fu Xiaotao remembered, "Once when I was hospitalized, the patient in the bed next to mine was a post-kidney transplant patient, and he was constantly taking Sirolimus. No wonder it sounded so familiar." The life-saving drug had been so close by all along, once within such close reach.

Since Fu Xiaotao was so cooperative, the following treatment would go smoothly. Everything proceeded according to the new plan. On the same day, Fu Xiaotao’s chemotherapy medication was discontinued, and he started taking Sirolimus. Time waits for no one, and Fu Xiaotao’s condition didn’t have much time left.

Over at Nandu Medical University, news spread that Principal Ding had fallen ill and been admitted to the ICU at Nandu Affiliated Hospital No. 1. Some cases of brain cancer are just like that—no symptoms at all like a normal person, but once symptoms appear, they’re usually life-threatening or dire.

Principal Ding’s situation came as a bit of a shock. Lu Xiaolu truly regarded Principal Ding as a father and, upon hearing that Principal Ding had suddenly fallen ill and was in the ICU, stayed vigilant outside the ICU and kept in touch with Yang Ping, hoping Yang Ping could help determine if there was any hope for Principal Ding.

Another brainstem tumor!

Yang Ping didn’t know how many brainstem tumors he had encountered, but perhaps it was precisely because the surgery was too difficult and risky, and because there were so few doctors and hospitals patients could turn to, that such a concentration effect occurred.

For such a brainstem tumor, Nandu Affiliated Hospital No. 1 definitely had no solution. Apart from Sanbo Hospital, only Temple of Heaven Hospital had the capability to perform the surgery.

Not long after receiving Principal Ding’s CT scans from Lu Xiaolu, Yang Ping got a call from his father-in-law, Professor Su, inviting him for an urgent consultation on Principal Ding. As soon as he hung up the phone, he received another call from Principal Ruo to discuss Principal Ding’s condition.

Principal Ding had actually made many contributions to the school, and his own academic achievements were quite substantial. Regrettably, his excessive indulgence towards his daughter had led to overly generous support for his son-in-law. Even after learning about his condition, he was still rapidly paving the way for his daughter and son-in-law’s future.

PS: This case is based on a true story. In the United States, a medical student diagnosed with Castleman disease was considered incurable and given less than two years to live. However, this medical student refused to accept his fate and decided to save himself. Amidst his debilitating illness and near-death experiences, he dedicated tremendous effort to studying the disease. By conducting extensive research, he overturned the disease mechanism of "Interleukin-6" and identified the real mechanism to be the "mTOR signaling pathway." Convinced of his findings, he stopped chemotherapy and began taking Sirolimus. After six months, one year, and then two years, his Castleman disease was cured and never relapsed. From a dying patient with a gaunt appearance, he became a vibrant and healthy Castleman disease expert—a world-leading authority. This is a story of resilience, of challenging authority, and of inspirational self-help.