The report of “Zhang Yu, a medical oncologist at the Third Hospital of North China Hospital, reflects the dark secrets of tumor treatment” has aroused concern, and the Health Care Commission has intervened to investigate. (taken from China News Weekly)
The so-called “over-the-top” treatment, is it a chaotic situation involving profit-making, or is it a benevolent one that saves lives until the last moment?
Zhang Yu, an attending physician in the Department of Medical Oncology at Peking University Third Hospital, recently posted a report on the Internet about another physician who gave unnecessary NGS gene sequencing and expensive, illegal NK treatment to a patient, resulting in a tenfold increase in cost but an earlier death. After the news broke out, all circles questioned the existence of “shady” tumor treatment.
Patient Ma Jincang and his daughter. (taken from Southern Metropolis Daily)
On April 2, 2021, “Dr. Zhang Yu”, a Zhihu user who claimed to be a medical oncologist at Peking University Third Hospital, posted an article on the platform, publicly questioning that some doctors “deliberately induce treatment”. On April 18, Zhang Yu published another article asking the state to curb malpractice in tumor treatment, and reported Lu Wei, the deputy chief physician of general surgery at Xinhua Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, and Ma Jincang, a terminal gastric cancer patient who passed away, as a specific case mentioned in the article.
Lu Wei’s handwritten treatment plan. (Taken from Eight Points Health News)
According to the article, it is conventional for physicians to test the gastroscopic tissue section used in the patient’s diagnosis more accurately. But Lu Wei gave the patient NGS gene sequencing, which had little to no reference value, inappropriate chemotherapy regimens, and recommended ineffective, expensive, and illegal NK therapy (a form of cellular immunotherapy), resulting in a tenfold increase in cost and an earlier death.
Zhang Yu later added that NGS sequencing has been found to be extremely inaccurate in terms of sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs, and can only be used to screen for targeted drugs rather than chemotherapy drugs. Also, the accuracy of NGS is very dependent on the material taken, especially in gastric cancer, and the use of blood sampling for NGS is a very irresponsible act.
The article by “Dr. Zhang Yu” was later deleted by him because he “couldn’t bear the pressure and possible consequences”.
Odd…physicians arrange for out-of-hospital testing
Shanghai Jia Kang Company. (Video screenshot)
Ma Jincang was diagnosed with gastric cancer in June 2020, and the diagnosis at the Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University showed “malignant tumor of the stomach”, as well as secondary malignant tumor of the liver, secondary malignant tumor of the lymph, hypertriglyceridemia, and syringomyelia. Because of the metastatic cancer, the gastroenterologist suggested to transfer to the oncology department for chemotherapy directly.
Ma Jincang heard that chemotherapy was painful and did not go to the hospital to receive conventional chemotherapy after returning home to Ping’an District, Haidong City, Qinghai Province, but tried some folk remedies. Later, under the introduction of Ma Rong’s cousin, he was admitted to Xinhua Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine in the afternoon of July 1, 2020 to receive treatment from Lu Wei. Ma Rong’s cousin was recommended to Ma Jincang because his mother, who also suffered from stomach cancer, had improved under Lu Wei’s treatment.
From the time Ma Jincang was admitted to the hospital to the time he underwent NGS gene sequencing, it took no more than an hour. at about 8:40 a.m. on July 2, Lu Wei told Ma Rong: your father’s condition is quite serious, and a cure is impossible, but according to my plan, it is no problem to live for three years, so try hard and live for five or six years.
Ma Jincang receives treatment inside Jia Kang. (Video screenshot)
This was the first time since his father’s diagnosis that Ma Rong had heard from a physician how long his father could live, or at least had a glimmer of hope. After Lu Wei arranged it, a man calling himself “Manager Wu” hurriedly arrived, called Ma Rong to the safety exit of the stairs, took out a POS machine and swiped 18,600 yuan (about $2,866) from Ma Rong. Then a trainee nurse helped his father to draw two tubes of blood, also by the “Wu manager” in a plastic bag away.
Ma Rong did not understand why he had to find an organization other than the hospital to do the test, but also quietly deal. Lu Wei said, NGS sequencing is to avoid ineffective treatment; to help patients choose genetic testing company’s principles, the report can be read by the patient, the detection of more genes safer, reliable results, but the price is relatively low.
Odd…50,000 for one shot “buy 5 get 1 free”
“There is no recommendation/guidance for patients to adopt NK therapy” is the biggest controversy of this incident.
Lu Wei said that for NK therapy, he and the family about the principle, did not actively introduce or recommend, the purpose is “out of the hope that it can effectively prolong life”.
But Ma Rong recalled that NK therapy is introduced by Lu Wei, Lu Wei told her in WeChat phone “plus a NK cell therapy, recovery better, easier to produce results”, but also said NK effect is good but 1 needle to 50,000 yuan (about $ 7,700), sympathy for them to come all the way, can be cheaper, but do not say that he introduced to go. She also received a document introducing NK treatment from Lu Wei, which had the name of the company “Shanghai Jia Kang” written in it.
The actual controller of the company “Shanghai Jia Kang”, which provides NK treatment, is Xu Yibing. Lu Wei said in an interview with the medical community that he and Xu Yibing met at an alumni reunion and that he had collaborated with Xu Yibing’s company on CTC research during his postdoctoral studies, but he was not sure why he became a shareholder of the company.
On August 10, Ma Jincang and his sister went to the company’s “laboratory” suggested by Lu Wei to take the first NK injection, the laboratory manager said “you can buy 5 get 1 free”, Ma Jincang and his sister each 3 injections. After that, Ma Jincang had the remaining two NK shots on the afternoon of August 27 and September 18, respectively.
The company’s main business is to provide a wide range of products and services to the public. The NK needles are not only effective, but they are also very effective. “Lu Wei was angry at the time, saying that he had not said that 100% of the effect, only 70% of the effect, your father may be the 30%”, Ma Rong recalled.
Bullshit…surgeon-led chemotherapy?
In addition to the controversial drug selection and dosage of chemotherapy regimens, the ability of surgeons to dominate medical chemotherapy is also a concern.
On July 15 last year, Lu Wei told Ma Rong that he had been complained about due to Ma Jincang’s long hospitalization and introduced them to a private hospital called CUH Cancer Hospital for their first chemotherapy treatment. According to Ma Rong’s recollection, since the “unpleasant call” in October last year, Lu Wei’s attitude became cold, and at the same time, starting from the fifth chemotherapy, replaced his father’s chemotherapy regimen.
The company’s website is a part of a collection of materials that Ma Rong has accumulated to seek medical treatment. (Source: Occasional Cure WeChat public number)
As for the reason for the drug change, Lu Wei said: the patient’s first 2 cycles of treatment were effective in controlling symptoms, “I could eat and sleep”, but the blood AFP continued to rise to more than 10,000, and the symptoms reappeared. After discussing with the patient, it was decided to adopt an individualized treatment plan. After that, Lu Wei was sent to Hainan and did not continue to follow up on the treatment.
It is worth pointing out that Lu Wei is not an oncology specialist, but a general surgeon. A physician of medical oncology in one of the top oncology hospitals in China said that such authorization is not allowed abroad, but is not uncommon in China.
Injustice…peers say treatment is ridiculous
At the end of October last year, Ma Jincang, who had undergone NK injections and the second version of the chemotherapy regimen, had lost so much weight that he was out of phase. Ma Jincang always said the back spine pain, Ma Rong did not know that this is cancer pain, and even did not know that his father had long appeared bone metastases, before each time to Lu Wei asked his father’s progress, Lu Wei said, “can can, very good very good.
Ma Rong was not willing to take time off to accompany his father in Shanghai, and on November 1, he registered with a doctor surnamed Zheng from the oncology department of Xinhua Hospital. The other side looked at all the treatment records and told Ma Rong that he and Dr. Lu were in the same hospital and it was not good to say much, but “this treatment is ridiculous”.
The company’s main business is to provide a wide range of products and services to the public. In March this year, Ma Jincang’s sister died after a long illness.
Ma Jincang sister’s eldest son wrote a letter of thanks to Lu Wei in April this year, saying that Lu Wei physician took a special drug program, never rumors of enticing families to spend high prices for treatment, but everywhere to help save. Ma Rong said he was unaware of the letter of thanks.
On the same day, Ma Rong retweeted Zhang Yu’s article on his Weibo account and wrote, “If this worsens the doctor-patient relationship, then the people really deserve to be cheated, and the world is for the strong. The physicians at the big hospital thought we were from the countryside and couldn’t do anything about it, so they made us take a 30,000 dollar cell shot, giving us hope one at a time and letting us down one at a time until Dad was gone. Then if this is the case, after getting sick directly to death, because to the hospital is also death.”
“I just hope that this matter is investigated clearly, do not wrong a good physician, and do not let a bad physician.” Ma Rong said that this is her last request.
It is understood that Lu Wei is in the stage of being investigated.
Jia Kang company gate. (Taken from the Occasional Cure WeChat public website)
The official Xinhua News Agency published a commentary on April 20, calling on the authorities to find out who is forcing “Dr. Zhang Yu” to delete his postings, to uncover the “medical black hand” and to break the “medical shady practice” that is undermining fairness. The company’s main goal is to find out who is forcing Dr. Zhang Yu to delete his posts, to uncover the “medical black hand”, and to break the “medical shady business” that is undermining fairness.
The family of Ma provided the card voucher. (/ Photo source: Occasional Healing WeChat public number)
Recent Comments