According to the news, recently the "Committee of Chinese Medicine and Herbal Medicine in China" composed of 22 departments including the National Health Department and the Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, awarded Yancheng city with the "Creative Award for the Activities of Chinese Medicine and Herbal Medicine in China in 2008". Yancheng is one of the three prefecture-level cities in our province that received this honor.
Last year, the National Health Department and the Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine determined to conduct large-scale popular science publicity activities of Chinese medicine and herbal medicine in 12 provinces (cities, autonomous regions) including Jiangsu Province, Shanghai City, and Zhejiang Province. In December last year, according to the unified arrangements of the provincial health department and the provincial administration of traditional Chinese medicine, Yancheng station held on-site activities and conducted city-wide TCM "three entries" and "three famous" publicity activities. On December 7 last year, leaders from the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the provincial administration of traditional Chinese medicine, and the municipal people's congress, government, and political consultative conference participated in the on-site launch ceremony of our city. During the activity, an event was organized where 826 people from all walks of life signed up for the "carry forward national treasures, love our country's medicine" signature campaign. Three health lectures and grassroots health technical personnel training sessions were arranged, nearly a thousand people participated in the TCM riddle guessing competition, on-site free diagnosis and consultation services were provided, and more than ten thousand copies of popular science materials such as TCM knowledge survey questionnaires, "50 Methods of TCM Health Preservation", and TCM special issues were distributed. During the activity period, each county (city, district) participated in a series of activities such as TCM knowledge competitions, TCM essay contests, and sending medical care to rural areas. Through the self-display of the charm of traditional medicine and the public's feelings, it prompted all sectors of society in our city to feel, understand, and recognize TCM, achieving better results.
At 10:00 am on April 10th, patient Shen, 66 years old, happily discharged from the hospital accompanied by his family. Before leaving, Mr. Shen grabbed the hands of the medical staff at Xindongren Hospital and said excitedly, "Thank you so much! The superb medical skills of Xindongren Hospital in Yancheng are really well-deserved..."
Mr. Shen is a farmer from Yongfeng Town, Xinghua City. He has always been engaged in farming and his physical condition has been good. Six months ago, Mr. Shen often experienced choking while eating, which gradually worsened and became more frequent. Two months ago, Mr. Shen experienced chest bone pain, which was persistent and intensified when eating. Mr. Shen did not think it was a serious problem and took painkillers on his own, which alleviated the symptoms somewhat. However, half a month ago, Mr. Shen's symptoms worsened to the point where he could not eat, and his condition deteriorated day by day, causing him to lose weight significantly. On March 20th, accompanied by his family, Mr. Shen went to a hospital in Xinghua City for a check-up. A gastroscopy revealed esophageal cancer in the middle segment. After hearing the diagnosis, Mr. Shen and his family were at a loss. After consulting various sources, Mr. Shen learned that Xindongren Hospital in Yancheng had successfully performed surgery on several esophageal tumor patients, so he came to the hospital with high expectations.
At around 10:00 am on March 28th, Mr. Shen was received by Dr. Lu Zhigang, deputy chief physician of the surgical department. After inquiring about the patient's condition, Dr. Lu arranged for the patient to undergo preoperative CT scans, which showed a tumor nearly 4 cm long in the middle segment of the esophagus, with no metastasis to the mediastinum or lymph nodes. Dr. Lu consulted with other doctors and determined that the patient met the criteria for surgery and had no contraindications. It was decided to perform an "esophageal cancer radical operation" on the patient. At around 9:00 am on March 31st, after fully completing the preoperative preparations and communicating with the patient's family, the patient was pushed into the operating room for surgery, with Dr. Lu as the lead surgeon. During the operation, it was found that the patient's tumor had infiltrated the contralateral pleura, and the lymph nodes beside the esophagus were swollen. Dr. Lu immediately performed the "esophageal cancer radical operation" on the patient. At 12:15 pm, the operation was successfully completed. Postoperatively, the patient was returned to the ward for first-level nursing care. Medical staff provided intravenous fluids, prevented infection, stopped bleeding, and provided symptomatic support treatments, closely monitoring vital signs and changes in the patient's condition, ensuring timely detection and resolution of any problems. The patient did not experience any complications such as anastomotic fistula, anastomotic stenosis, pneumonia, atelectasis, thoracic infection, or incision infection. After 14 days of active nursing and treatment, the patient recovered smoothly, with good wound healing, and was discharged from the hospital on the morning of April 10th.
According to Dr. Lu Zhigang, esophageal tumors are a common type of malignant tumor. Jiangsu Province is one of the high-incidence areas, mostly occurring in men over 50 years old, with a trend towards younger age groups. Clinical manifestations include early discomfort when swallowing food, with a feeling of food stopping and being stuck in the esophagus, which occurs intermittently. When the condition progresses to significant esophageal damage, patients often spit out foam-like mucus, with increased obstruction and may experience continuous chest and back pain. The overall condition gradually deteriorates, resulting in dehydration and weight loss. Severe cases can lead to systemic failure. In the late stages of the disease, the most common symptom is difficulty swallowing. Patients may feel food going down is obstructed when eating, which slightly improves after drinking soup or water. Such symptoms may recur. As the tumor continues to grow, the esophagus becomes increasingly narrow, making it difficult to even consume liquid food and drink water.
Dr. Lu emphasized that the early symptoms of esophageal tumors are mild and not obvious, easily leading to missed or misdiagnosis. For high-incidence areas of esophageal tumors, efforts should be made to strengthen the promotion and普及of esophageal tumor knowledge. Middle-aged and elderly people who occasionally experience swallowing discomfort while eating dry rice should regularly undergo gastroscopy or barium swallow radiography. Therefore, early detection and early surgical treatment are crucial for patients.