Cancer spread throughout his body due to wrong treatment
His illness turns into a book. HG, a 51-year-old fashion designer and mother of 2 children, who had her breast removed after being diagnosed with breast cancer and then learned that the cancer had spread to her liver, bone, lung and pancreas as a result of the wrong treatment, said, “Due to the wrong treatment, the cancer spread to my whole body. Even though I went for frequent check-ups, they did not notice the mass. I came back from the dead. I had 13 masses in my liver alone, I fought hard to heal and I did. With the treatment applied by my doctor, my whole body was cleared in 6 months and I stood up. However, it was thought that I had 3 months to live,” he said.
Stating that her struggle for life started in 2014, HG said, “I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in my left breast. My breast was surgically removed. The biopsy results were different at one hospital and different at another hospital I went to. I was given chemotherapy treatment based on the wrong biopsy result. I received 8 cycles of chemotherapy, but my chemo treatments were very difficult due to wrong treatment. After the chemotherapy, my check-ups started. When I went for my first 3-month check-up, they did not pay much attention to it, saying that there was 1 cm of connective tissue in my liver. “When I came for a check-up in February 2017, I learned that the cancer had spread throughout my body, and I was devastated,” he said.
I made a living for myself with the research I did on the internet.
Stating that he started experiencing extreme itching in his body at the beginning of this year, HG said, “I read on the internet and itching was among the symptoms of liver cancer, but I did not think it was possible. My brother is also currently fighting lung cancer. One day, while I was sitting with my brother and aunt, my aunt told me that my eyes were turning yellow. I immediately went to the doctor, the tests showed that my jaundice was very high and the doctor urgently requested a liver ultrasound. I had an ultrasound and it turned out that I had 13 masses in my liver. The masses were 3-4-5 and 6 cm in size. Of course, I was devastated when I learned that there were 13 masses in my liver, my whole world went dark. They installed a PTK because I could not receive treatment before my jaundice subsided. In this method, the bile ducts in the liver are entered with a needle through the skin under local anesthesia and a film of the bile ducts is taken. During this procedure, a drain is inserted to drain the bile and relieve jaundice. This was also a very painful process. Meanwhile, I was searching for a doctor for myself. While I was doing research on the internet, I also made a life plan for myself. I have 2 young children, one is 11 and the other is 9. It was a very bad time. I always thought about who I would leave them to if I died. But then I decided to pull myself together. I pulled myself away from the bad news and started researching the life stories of those who survived this disease. One day, in a newspaper, Prof. Dr. I came across the story of a patient treated by Necdet Üskent. The interview with this patient impressed me greatly. This patient had experienced the same problems I had and survived. “After reading this story, I immediately made an appointment with Necdet Hodja in February,” he said.
Connective tissue tested, cancer turned out
The cancer has spread throughout his body, he is in a very bad condition, Anadolu Health Center Medical Oncology Specialist and Oncological Sciences Coordinator Prof. Dr. Explaining that he applied to Necdet Üskent, HG said, “Necdet Hoca told me about the treatment and what to do. He never gave me a lifetime. Despite everything, he spoke very hopeful. So I decided to resist to live. Of course, the fear of death gripped me from time to time. But I decided to live for my children. PET/CT was taken and it was seen that there was cancer in my bone, lung, pancreas and liver, that is, my whole body. The fact that the cancer was not noticed until now was completely the result of doctor’s error and wrong treatment. “At my first check-up, I was told that I had connective tissue in my liver, and it was never taken seriously,” he said.
Treatment cannot be applied until the liver recovers
Stating that the treatment was started from his liver first, HG said, “Radioembolization was performed in the Radiology Department of Anadolu Health Center because the liver had to be saved first in order to continue the treatment. In radioembolization, just like in angiography, the tumor is reached by entering the body through the groin and not only radiation therapy is applied to the tumor inside the body, but also the vessels feeding the tumor are blocked. This treatment was also laborious, but it was very effective. At the end of 1 month, my liver recovered and my values decreased. Meanwhile, I started to feel better. Radioembolization was very effective for me. After radioembolization, my chemotherapy process started to prevent the cancer from spreading further. When my disease started, I weighed 56-57 kilos. However, I entered chemotherapy weighing 49 kilos. “Liver diseases can really destroy a person in an instant, but thank God I survived,” he said.
It’s a miracle
Prof. Dr. Explaining that Necdet Üskent requested a new biopsy due to the different results obtained in different hospitals, HG said, “With the new biopsy result, it has become clear that I had previously received the wrong treatment. If this situation had gone unnoticed by Necdet Hodja, I would have received the wrong treatment again and perhaps died. During my 4 cycles of chemotherapy, I started gaining weight again. It was obvious that the chemotherapy was working. Even I could feel that something was getting better in my body. I’m back to my old active self. PET/CT was performed after 4 cycles of chemotherapy. My results were getting better and Dr. Necdet decided to do 4 more cycles of chemotherapy for protection. And I received a complete response from the chemotherapy, my body was completely cleared of cancer. This is a complete miracle. When I started to recover, he asked me, ‘Were you aware of what situation you were in?’ said my doctor. It turned out that I was a very bad patient with about 3 months to live, but my doctor did not tell me this and did his best to keep me alive. He never made me feel this negativity either. I owe my life to him. “I cannot pay what is due,” he said.
I was a terminal patient
Saying that his children are what connect him to life, HG said: “Our nation calls this disease a ‘bad disease’. Nobody understands anyone. I’ve always looked good, even at my worst. My hair fell out, I looked for a wig suitable for my hair. I was going to an English course and I continued with that. I was taking a popular music course, after chemotherapy, I went to concerts and sang at the concert. When I was first diagnosed, I didn’t say anything to the children, I couldn’t explain it, but they saw and understood my hair loss. I told them that I would fight my illness and not give up. I was a terminally ill patient. It’s a miracle for me that I’m alive right now. This disease has taught me a lot. I started to love myself more now. I don’t sacrifice myself for anyone anymore. I used to be very self-sacrificing. Fear of death is a very bad thing. I saw it. Of course, my life will end somewhere, but I felt that it would not be because of cancer and I fought. No one should lose hope, let them fight. My biggest supporters during this process were my wife, children and family. “They never left me alone,” he said.
His illness and treatment process become a book
Explaining that she got married at the age of 34 and became a mother very late, HG said, “I held my son when I was 39 and I fought hard to hold him in my arms. I am compiling both my pregnancy and my illness into a book. I received treatment to have a child, but I lost a child. I have had great struggles in this life. I want to give hope to women in this regard. I would like to give a message that they should not lose hope about the child. You can now become a mother even at the age of 40-42. It is important to be strong, not give up and fight,” she said.
“The patient was really exhausted when he came to us.”
Prof. Dr. Necdet Üskent (Anadolu Health Center Medical Oncology Specialist and Oncological Sciences Coordinator)
This patient was truly exhausted when he came to us. The cancer had spread widely to the liver and bones. Metastases in the liver blocked the bile ducts and caused jaundice. First, a catheter was placed in the bile ducts, bile was removed and jaundice was eliminated. Then a biopsy was taken from the liver again. It was observed that the biological structure of breast cancer was different from the initial diagnosis. According to the first determination, in the new biopsy we performed on the patient who received hormonal treatment and drug therapy in another center, we saw that some values were actually negative, not positive. For this reason, she did not respond to the hormone treatments she had previously received and her disease progressed rapidly. Radioembolization was performed to the liver in our Department of Radiology, and when we gave a more appropriate treatment for the diagnosis of “Triple negative breast cancer”, we saw that the disease completely regressed. Currently, there is a complete response on PET-CT in the patient’s liver and bone metastases. His clinical condition has improved greatly and he has no complaints or signs of disease. However, we will keep a close eye on it.
