Surgery Godfather

Chapter 2236: Chapter 1457: Unknown Factor

The night deepened and the light from the study cast a gentle glow on Yang Ping’s face.

Lu Xiaolu’s phone rang twice before he answered, and the background sounded with the beep of instruments; he was likely still in the Laboratory.

"Professor, you haven’t rested yet?" Lu Xiaolu’s voice carried a hint of surprise.

"You haven’t rested either." Yang Ping leaned back against his chair, his gaze still fixed on the spectrum image on the screen, "There’s a case I’d like to discuss with you. A twelve-year-old girl, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, biopsy-confirmed DIPG. Progression after radiotherapy; the family is not giving up and wants to try a new proposal."

Silence lingered for a few seconds on the other end of the line.

Lu Xiaolu must have been processing this information. DIPG, these four letters mean a lot in the field of Neurological Tumor; everyone involved in tumor research is well aware. The median survival time after diagnosis is less than a year, with a five-year survival rate of less than one percent; not a single treatment in the past thirty years has significantly improved prognosis.

"Typical imaging manifestation of DIPG, pons enlargement, diffuse infiltration, compression of the fourth ventricle." Yang Ping continued, "But I noticed a significant increase in the lactate peak on the spectrum, indicating a pronounced hypoxic microenvironment within the tumor."

Lu Xiaolu raised his voice a bit, "K Therapy is expanding to brain gliomas, there are currently few cases, with strict indications, but the pronounced hypoxic environment is quite suitable."

"I thought so too," Yang Ping said, "How many similar cases have you accumulated for K Therapy over there?"

"Eight cases of brainstem glioma, only two cases of DIPG." Lu Xiaolu seemed to be browsing documents, paused for a few seconds, "The efficacy of those two cases was reasonable; imaging after six months of treatment showed a forty percent tumor reduction, with significant improvement in Clinical symptoms. The other case wasn’t as effective, but there was still a ten percent reduction after six months."

"What’s the specific treatment protocol? The administration method for K Therapy, dosage, combined medication regimen, please organize them and send them to me. We need to discuss with the family tomorrow afternoon, I want to give them as clear an expectation as possible."

"Sure, I’ll organize them tonight and send them to your email."

After hanging up the phone, Yang Ping flipped through Lin Xiaoyu’s medical case; unknowingly, it was already eleven o’clock.

At precisely six-thirty in the morning, the alarm clock rang.

Yang Ping opened his eyes to find Xiao Su already out of bed. A gentle sound came from the kitchen—the clash of pot lids, the sound of water flowing, and Xiao Su softly humming.

He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and then got out of bed.

"Why up so early?" Yang Ping walked into the kitchen; Xiao Su was making porridge.

"Couldn’t sleep, Erbao is practicing boxing in my stomach." Xiao Su glanced back at him, "Why didn’t you sleep a bit more? You were up so late last night."

"I’m used to it; wake up at the same time every day." Yang Ping walked to her side, glanced at the porridge on the stove. Millet porridge with added red dates—cooked thick; the aroma of barley combined with the scent of dates made one feel soothed.

"What’s on the agenda today?" Xiao Su asked.

"Going to the Institute in the morning; there’s a new discovery to discuss over at Manstein’s. In the afternoon, there’s a case discussion in Neurosurgery—a child with DIPG; the family wants to try K Therapy."

Xiao Su paused her stirring hand.

"DIPG? Isn’t that the one on the brainstem?" She was a Nurse by training; though she wasn’t on the Clinical frontline anymore, she still understood the basic knowledge of these conditions.

"Yes!"

Xiao Su was silent for a moment, then said, "That condition, typically doesn’t have good effect, right? You’ve told me that before."

"Routine treatment indeed doesn’t have good effect," Yang Ping said, "but K Therapy might work; and over at Lu Xiaolu’s, they’ve accumulated some case data—not a specialized trial for DIPG, but a few cases have given us some confidence."

Xiao Su didn’t respond; she understood what Yang Ping meant. Doctors facing terminal illnesses can’t say "there’s absolutely no hope," nor can they say "it will certainly be cured." They must find that balance between hope and reality, not giving false promises nor extinguishing the last flicker of hope.

"The porridge is ready; let it cool before eating." Xiao Su served a bowl of porridge in front of Yang Ping, "Have breakfast before work."

Yang Ping sat down, picked up the bowl, blew on the steam, and took a sip. The porridge was perfectly cooked; the grains had blossomed, the sweetness of the red dates had fully merged into the porridge—it was warm from the throat all the way to the stomach.

"Delicious." He said.

Xiao Su smiled, sat down opposite him, aimed a small fan at the porridge, and helped stir it: "Let it cool down."

As a Doctor and Nurse, they understand the healthy eating principle: don’t often eat extremely hot foods.

Quickly, the porridge cooled down, and after finishing breakfast, Yang Ping shaved, changed into a clean shirt, and then went out.

In the Institute’s building, a busy day had already begun.

When the elevator doors opened, Yang Ping saw Tang Shun standing in the hallway on the phone, his expression serious, brows tightly knit. Seeing Yang Ping, he raised a hand as a signal and then briefly said a few words before hanging up.

"What’s going on?" Yang Ping walked over and asked.

Tang Shun said, "Weber stayed in the Laboratory until two AM last night; he said the verification experiment about temperature exposure time must be done immediately, couldn’t wait until the next day. When I came in the morning, I saw him asleep in the Resting Room beside the cultivation chamber, covered with a White Gown."

Yang Ping frowned.

"In his condition, doing experiments is prone to mistakes. Tell him to go home and rest; the experiment doesn’t miss this day, and can’t be like this in the future."

"I told him, but he didn’t listen." Tang Shun helplessly shrugged, "He said that hypothesis rotated in his Brain all night; without verification, he couldn’t sleep. Now he’s already started the experiment—I can’t stop him."

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