Chapter 837: [837] Surgery might not be possible Chapter 837: [837] Surgery might not be possible “Grab a few large cups and steep some of this,” thought Tao Zhijie, sniffing the fragrant scent that girls might like. “We rarely have girls over, so we need to entertain our junior sister properly when she visits.”
The dining room table was quite large, and several people sat down at the table to start the meeting.
“Now, the surgical plan proposed by Xiao Song is as follows,” Tao Zhijie said, showing everyone the preliminary surgical sketches drawn by Song Xueling.
Qiu Ruiyun took notes in place of the absent He Jiuliang.
“First, as we know, pancreatic cancer has a very high false-negative rate on CT scans. We cannot rely solely on a CT scan to determine whether surgery is possible, unless it is at an advanced stage where the spread is obvious. Especially for distinguishing between stages one, two, and three in terms of resectability, it’s best to conduct a laparoscopic exploration first. So, this is how Monday’s surgery is planned: Xiao Song will be the chief surgeon, first conducting laparoscopic exploration. We need to precisely locate the tumor at the tail of the pancreas and identify whether it is benign or malignant, as well as ascertain the degree of invasion into the surrounding tissues, especially the retroperitoneal spleen and blood vessels, in order to match the CT findings for resectability. Be prepared mentally, as the surgery might end after the exploration and be deemed inoperable,” Tao Zhijie concluded, flipping through his own notes.
The atmosphere around the conference table was rather silent.
A laptop was open nearby, seemingly useless. The pancreas is different from the liver; it is not encased in a capsule and is surrounded by many organs and vital blood vessels, making it prone to metastasis and deeply hidden. For tumors in the tail of the pancreas, when recognizable symptoms appear, it’s usually because the cancer has already metastasized and been detected by doctors. It’s called the “king of cancers” for a reason.
This means that the indicators detected by external instruments are not able to accurately determine the specific condition of the pancreas. Predictive values are inaccurate, rendering three-dimensional modeling software ineffective.
Coincidentally, Li Yaxi was suffering from a tumor in the tail of the pancreas, which is even more difficult to diagnose than the more common head of pancreas cancer. Less than fifteen percent of pancreatic cancer patients are suitable for surgery. If it has metastasized, and the patient cannot undergo surgery, they will likely not survive one year, let alone two.
Given this, rather than leaving it to the seasoned doctors who likely have no solution, it might be better to let a newcomer first conduct an exploratory attempt.
Xie Wanying bowed her head, scrutinizing Doctor Song’s surgical sketches in detail.
Qiu Ruiyun, sitting beside her, took one look at the drawings and almost blacked out from confusion: What on earth had his junior from school drawn? It looked like a bunch of meaningless scribbles. He couldn’t even tell whether it was the pancreas.
Now, how was he going to convey this to He Jiuliang?
“About Doctor Song’s drawing.”
Hearing Xie Wanying speak, Qiu Ruiyun asked, “Do you understand what he’s drawn?”
“For pancreatic cancer, the decision to operate is based on clinical staging, not the usual TNM staging. Borderline resectable pancreatic cancer, which could be operable or inoperable, is what surgeons strive to achieve–aiming to remove the tumor along with the blood vessels. So, Doctor Song has drawn several predictions based on that. He has indicated which points mean surgery cannot proceed and which points mean surgery can still be done to extend the patient’s life,” explained Xie Wanying.
Thanks to her explanation, Qiu Ruiyun finally understood that the incomprehensible scribbles his junior had drawn were actually a series of timelines.