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Yan Chun
Oncology
About me
Graduated from the Clinical Medicine Department of Qingdao Medical College, has been working in the Oncology Department since 2001, obtained the qualification of attending physician in the same year. Promoted to attending physician in 2003. Qualified as associate chief physician in 2011. Participated in advanced studies at Jinan Cancer Hospital from June to November 2015. Serves as a youth member of the Chemical Therapy Committee in Shandong Province, youth member of the Elderly Therapy Committee of the Qingdao Anti-cancer Association, and a member of the Biologic Therapy Committee of the Qingdao Anti-cancer Association.
Proficient in diseases
Chemotherapy, radiotherapy, deep hyperthermia, targeted therapy, and endocrine therapy for various tumors such as stomach cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and pancreatic cancer.
Voices
Will early-stage liver cancer cause weight loss?
For patients with early-stage liver cancer, symptoms of wasting do not occur at the onset. This is because wasting in liver cancer patients is due to insufficient albumin synthesis as the tumor causes a substantial consumption of protein, coupled with a decrease in appetite leading to inadequate intake of nutrients such as albumin, which ultimately results in wasting. This is a common clinical manifestation in patients with advanced liver cancer. However, for patients with early-stage liver cancer, the impairment of liver function is relatively minor; therefore, their synthesis of albumin is normal. Moreover, early-stage patients exhibit almost no clinical symptoms and their appetite remains normal, with no decrease in food intake. Thus, their intake of nutrients is also maintained at normal levels. Additionally, as the tumor is smaller in the early stages, the consumption of the body's nutrients is less. Considering these three factors, the overall protein consumption remains normal and not excessive, thus preventing the patients from experiencing wasting.
What's going on with the facial swelling in the late stage of liver cancer?
Patients with advanced liver cancer may experience facial swelling, which can be attributed to the following reasons: Firstly, patients with advanced liver cancer often show significant disease progression and may develop complications associated with hepatorenal syndrome. Clinically, this can manifest as reduced urine output, anuria, and even renal impairment, leading to facial swelling. Secondly, in patients with advanced liver cancer, there may be metastasis to cervical lymph nodes. Enlarged lymph nodes can compress or invade surrounding structures, leading to superior vena cava syndrome. Once this syndrome occurs, patients may experience swelling in the face and neck, and some may even face severe breathing difficulties. Lastly, some patients with advanced liver cancer may experience renal damage due to the toxic side effects of antitumor treatments or medications. Clinically, this can lead to increased levels of blood urea nitrogen and creatinine, reduced urine output, and hypoproteinemia, which may also result in facial swelling.
How to differentiate rectal cancer from hemorrhoids?
In clinical practice, rectal cancer can be differentiated from hemorrhoids in the following three aspects: First, the impact on the body is different between the two conditions. Rectal cancer has a significant impact on the body, with patients often experiencing symptoms such as general fatigue, fever, and weight loss. Hemorrhoids, on the other hand, have a minor impact on the body, with patients primarily experiencing local symptoms and rarely showing systemic symptoms. Second, there is a significant difference in the treatment methods. Treatment for rectal cancer includes surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. In contrast, treatment for hemorrhoids mainly involves local medication, and severe cases may consider local surgical treatment. Thirdly, the prognosis of the two conditions is very different. Patients with advanced rectal cancer have a poorer prognosis, and many have a short survival time. Hemorrhoids, however, do not affect the life span of the body.
Does early-stage liver cancer cause pain when pressed?
In the early stages of liver cancer, patients generally do not experience pain when pressing on the liver area. Pain in the liver area or a sensation of liver pain typically occurs in the middle or late stages of liver cancer and is a common manifestation. The main reasons for the pain are that the liver cancer lesions are large, causing an increase in liver volume, which leads to a tense pain in the liver capsule. Additionally, the invasion of liver cancer into the liver cells and surrounding tissues can cause pain. Another cause of pain may be abnormal hormone secretion triggered by the lesions, which then stimulates the pain perception centers, resulting in pain. For patients with early-stage liver cancer, the tumors are generally small and usually do not cause noticeable clinical symptoms. In many cases, patients may exhibit non-specific symptoms such as indigestion and mild fatigue. In contrast, patients with middle to late-stage liver cancer often exhibit more clinical manifestations due to the progression of the disease.
Is having dry stools every day colon cancer?
Dry stools every day can be a clinical manifestation of colon cancer, often due to lesions in the colon caused by the invasion of cancer. Sometimes, it is caused by cancerous bowel obstruction. In addition to dry stools, some patients may also experience nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension, abdominal pain, and constipation. However, daily dry stools are not solely caused by colon cancer; some benign intestinal diseases can also lead to this condition, such as chronic constipation or melanosis coli, where patients may experience daily hard stools. Moreover, if dry stools occur daily and persist over a long period, they can potentially lead to malignant changes. Therefore, patients with daily dry stools should regularly undergo colonoscopy to prevent any pathological changes that might have progressed to cancer. Prompt treatment should be administered if the condition worsens.
Will prostate cancer cause an increase in CA199 levels?
In most cases, patients with prostate cancer do not experience an increase in the C199 marker. This is because, although C199 is a tumor marker, its elevation is mainly seen in the following tumors: pancreatic cancer, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, and ovarian epithelial cancer in women. In patients with large amounts of ascites, this marker may also show a mild increase. For patients with prostate cancer, the important abnormal indicator is PSA, also known as Prostate-Specific Antigen, a tumor marker. This marker is often seen to be abnormally high. Even if the PSA level in prostate cancer patients is not high, the ratio of free PSA to total PSA often shows abnormalities. These indicator abnormalities are mainly helpful for the auxiliary diagnosis of prostate cancer, monitoring of the condition, and support in anti-tumor treatment.
Can thyroid cancer cause an itchy throat and cough?
Patients with thyroid cancer may experience symptoms such as throat itching and coughing. The causes can be considered from the following aspects: Firstly, thyroid cancer tends to metastasize to the lungs through the bloodstream. Once lung metastasis occurs, respiratory symptoms will appear, including throat itching and coughing. Additionally, these symptoms may also arise from a decrease in immunity following chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical treatments for thyroid cancer, leading to concurrent lung infections. Thirdly, some patients with thyroid cancer may have invasion of nearby organs, such as the esophagus or airways, which can also lead to symptoms of throat itching and coughing. In terms of treatment, apart from symptomatic drug therapy, it is paramount to administer systemic anti-tumor treatments. Effective control of thyroid cancer is essential to alleviate these clinical symptoms.
What are the early symptoms of ovarian cancer?
Ovarian cancer is one of the common gynecological malignancies in women. In the early stages, symptoms are not common and are not severe. The typical symptoms mainly manifest as pain and discomfort in the lower abdomen, and some patients may feel bloating in the lower abdomen. Some patients experience an increase in vaginal discharge, some have vaginal drainage or abnormal vaginal bleeding, and others may observe abnormal changes in their menstrual cycle, such as prolonged periods or increased menstrual flow, while some may experience reduced menstruation. Besides these, there are no other symptoms in early-stage ovarian cancer patients. As the disease progresses, the patient's abdominal pain and bloating will significantly worsen, indicating that the disease has advanced to the middle or late stages.
Can you smoke with nasopharyngeal carcinoma?
Patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma should not smoke, as tobacco is a very certain carcinogenic factor. There is a significant correlation between the high incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and long-term smoking. Therefore, if patients do not eliminate carcinogenic factors, nasopharyngeal carcinoma is likely to recur or metastasize after curative surgery or radiotherapy. Additionally, patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma need to undergo treatment strategies such as surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Continuous smoking can affect the effectiveness of these anti-tumor treatments and is detrimental to the patient's recovery. Furthermore, smoking can also lead to other types of malignant tumors. Therefore, it is not advisable for patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma to smoke. It is also recommended that patients improve other unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as long-term alcohol consumption, a high-fat diet, and the consumption of pickled or fried foods, as these are also causes of high nasopharyngeal carcinoma incidence and should be avoided.
How to treat differentiated thyroid cancer
The so-called differentiated thyroid cancers include two types: papillary and follicular thyroid cancers. Their treatment methods consist of the following: First, surgical treatment is a primary treatment strategy for early-stage differentiated thyroid cancers, involving radical surgical removal. After surgery, some patients need to take medications to supplement thyroid hormones. Secondly, for patients with advanced differentiated thyroid cancers, the main comprehensive treatment measures include radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Additionally, postoperative early-stage patients can also undergo treatment with Iodine-131 to monitor changes in the condition and provide internal radiation treatment to control the progression of the disease. Internal radiation treatment can be performed multiple times.