AND THE FIGHT CONTINUES! HOW MARITAL LOVE AND MEDICAL EXPERTISE WORK WONDERS

They always hold hands, like newlyweds, even though they’ve been together for over 25 years. “For all these three years of my illness, Georgiy has been by my side, like a caretaker. He’s taken on everything at home, dealt with all the doctors and paperwork,” says Nadezhda, looking warmly at her husband. “If it weren’t for him, I don’t know how I’d manage…”

Nadezhda was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 by oncologists in Belgorod. Given the local spread and aggressive immunophenotype of the tumor, the first stage of her treatment involved neoadjuvant polychemotherapy. Unfortunately, instead of the expected tumor shrinkage, aggressive growth began. Subsequent preoperative external beam radiation therapy and second-line chemotherapy also failed to yield the desired results. In addition to the tumor’s continued growth, metastatic lesions appeared in the lungs.

“When the patient from Shebekino first came to our institute’s clinic in August 2024, part of her breast tissue had already been replaced by the tumor,” says Dzerassa Ortabayeva, an oncologist and mammologist at the P.A. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute. “There were deep ulcerative lesions on the skin, with a risk of tumor breakdown and bleeding, which significantly complicated both diagnosis and treatment planning.”

It became clear that standard treatment approaches were exhausted, and alternative methods needed to be considered. Under the hopeful gaze of her patient, the doctor reviewed all possible options before deciding on intra-arterial chemoembolization.

“One of the main advantages of this minimally invasive technique is the targeted delivery of high concentrations of chemotherapy drugs directly to the arteries feeding the tumor,” explains Andrey Rerberg, head of the Department of X-ray Surgical Diagnostics and Treatment at the P. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute. “This is done under X-ray guidance. Another significant benefit is the reduced side effects, which improves the patient’s overall condition and prepares them for further systemic and localized treatments.”

Thanks to the team’s extensive experience with the method and their coordinated efforts, the overall goal was achieved after just three courses of intra-arterial chemotherapy. Control over the disease was restored.

“By the patient’s second visit, the ulcerative lesions on the affected breast had healed, and imaging studies showed complete tumor resorption. The growth of metastatic lung lesions had halted,” concludes Dzerassa Rodionovna.

For the follow-up visit, Georgiy and Nadezhda came together again – they are never apart.

“You can’t imagine how much my condition has changed,” Nadezhda says with a smile. “The suppuration has stopped, no more endless compresses or terrible odors – it’s all behind me. We can finally see light at the end of the tunnel.”

After a follow-up examination and another multidisciplinary consultation, a new course of drug therapy was prescribed. A new stage in the fight against a cunning and formidable enemy begins. Hand in hand: the patient, her Georgiy, and her doctors – all part of one team. The fight continues.