(Reported by Fuzhou Evening News) For the past two years, Ms. Zeng from Fuzhou has been battling with advanced liver cancer. After trying various conventional therapies, the cancer cells still had the upper hand. Recently, the newly introduced tumor ablation technology in our province, "nanoknife", came to her aid and brought a welcome reversal to Ms. Zeng's anti-cancer situation.

Two years ago, when Ms. Zeng was diagnosed with primary liver cancer during a physical examination, her condition had already reached an advanced stage and she was not eligible for surgical treatment. She could only receive multiple treatments such as local ablation and targeted drugs for liver cancer. During a recent follow-up examination this year, it was found that her condition had progressed rapidly, with not only a recurrence of liver cancer but also multiple metastases in her lungs. At this point, Ms.Zeng was already using the ultimate means of conventional therapy - targeted drugs combined with immunotherapy. In the past, if this treatment failed, patients could only receive symptomatic treatment and nutritional support as palliative care, waiting for the end of their lives, or trying some experimental therapies with unclear efficacy and risks.

At the beginning of this year, the Interventional Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Binhai Branch (i.e. Huashan Hospital Fujian Hospital) introduced the first nanoknife in our province, which is expected to bring hope to patients with complex and difficult-to-treat cancers. Ms. Zeng came to the hospital for treatment after hearing about it.

Professor Lin Zhengyu, the director of Interventional Radiology, performed the first nanoknife combined with immunotherapy treatment in our province on Ms. Zeng. This innovative approach added nanoknife treatment on top of targeted drug therapy and immunotherapy. This breakthrough attempt brought hope to Ms. Zeng, who was previously in despair due to her illness.

During the surgery, Professor Lin Zhengyu used CT guidance to implant two thin electrodes into the tumor at both ends through the patient's skin under general anesthesia. He then used the nanoknife to ablate the tumor. Shortly after the surgery, Ms. Zeng's follow-up examination showed a significant reduction in the size and number of lung metastases, and the liver cancer tumor markers that had surged before the surgery had returned to normal levels.

According to Professor Lin Zhengyu, the nanoknife is an emerging tumor ablation technology. It works by releasing high-pressure pulses that break the cancer cell membrane, creating nano-scale permanent perforations (also known as "irreversible electroporation") on each cancer cell, disrupting the cell's balance and causing rapid apoptosis. After cancer cell apoptosis, phagocytic cells in the body will engulf the cancer cell debris, and the tumor treatment area will gradually be replaced by normal tissue. If the patient's condition relapses, the nanoknife can be used repeatedly.

"Compared with commonly used interventional therapies such as microwave, radiofrequency, and cryoablation with argon-helium knives and liquid nitrogen, the nanoknife is 'neither hot nor cold.' The cell death it causes is not necrosis, but apoptosis, and blood vessels are not damaged, allowing immune cells to enter unimpeded. Therefore, it has a better effect on activating immunotherapy," said Professor Lin Zhengyu. He also mentioned that the treatment time of the nanoknife is very short, and it only takes 5 minutes to ablate a 3 cm tumor.