How Interventional Therapy Shrank My Lung Tumor by 90%

A Sudden Diagnosis That Changed Everything

My name is Tjioe Sin Jen. I’m 47 years old, and before all of this, I spent my days teaching computer science, physics, and chemistry to junior high and high school students in Jakarta, Indonesia. Teaching was more than a job for me — it was something I loved. But in early 2016, my life took a turn I never saw coming, and I had to step away from the classroom for treatment.

It started with a persistent ache in my right chest and a tight, congested feeling that wouldn’t go away. When I finally got it checked locally in February 2016, the scan revealed a mass. To be certain, I underwent a biopsy the following month. The result floored me: lung cancer, already at stage four, with cancer cells that had spread beyond the lung. I remember feeling completely blindsided. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, and I run regularly — I had even signed up for a marathon in Mongolia that coming July. Cancer was the last thing I expected to hear.

Searching for a Better Option

Facing a diagnosis like this brought fear and physical pain, but somewhere underneath it, I still held onto a strong will to keep living. My family stood by me, and on the advice of a local doctor, I began taking oral cancer medication. Still, I knew pills alone weren’t going to give me a lasting solution, so I started researching hospitals that might offer something more.

That search led me to Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou (MCHG). Looking through their website, I learned the hospital offers 18 different minimally invasive treatment techniques and holds JCI accreditation. I also came across the story of another patient, Elang Mochamad, whose situation closely mirrored mine — and that gave me real hope. I reached out to MCHG’s branch office in Jakarta, and their team took care of my visa and travel arrangements. On April 22, I arrived in Guangzhou to begin treatment.

Undergoing Interventional Therapy

Once admitted, a full workup confirmed the stage four diagnosis and measured my tumor at 2.4 by 7.5 centimeters. After the multidisciplinary team reviewed my case, they recommended interventional therapy as my treatment path.

My first session took place on April 25. Because the doctors had walked me through exactly what to expect beforehand, I went in far less anxious than I’d anticipated. The procedure itself took about 20 minutes, and afterward my only real side effect was a mild ulcer — nothing severe. On May 19, I had a second round that lasted just 10 minutes. Bit by bit, the chest pain that had been bothering me for months began to fade. What struck me most was how mild the side effects were each time — I was able to walk around on my own not long after each session. In fact, my attending physician, Dr. Wang Zenghai, discharged me the same afternoon of that second procedure.

Some of the key points from my treatment experience include:

• Each interventional therapy session lasted only 10 to 20 minutes
• Recovery was fast enough that I could move around independently right after treatment
• Side effects were minimal — I only experienced a mild ulcer after the first session

Seeing the Results

On June 5, I went back for a follow-up consultation and a fresh round of scans. The news was better than I could have hoped for: there was no longer any visible tumor mass in my right lung, and overall, the tumor had shrunk by 90 percent. It was a moment of pure relief for me and my whole family. On June 8, I underwent a third interventional therapy session, which my doctors recommended as a way to reinforce the results and lower the chance of the cancer coming back.

Life Beyond Treatment

This experience has reshaped how I think about health. If there’s one thing I want other people to take from my story, it’s this: don’t skip your regular checkups. You can feel completely fine and still be carrying something serious inside. Catching problems early, and acting on them, makes all the difference. And whatever you’re facing, hold on to the belief that you can get through it — I truly believe Modern Cancer Hospital Guangzhou can offer others the kind of results it gave me.

My time in Guangzhou wasn’t only about hospital visits. I joined an event called “Anticancer Warrior,” toured some of the city’s well-known sights, and even took part in Dragon Boat Festival festivities on June 7. Those moments pulled me out of the monotony of ward life and reminded me there was still plenty to enjoy. Compared to hospitals back home in Malaysia and Indonesia, which tend to lean heavily on standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy, I found MCHG’s minimally invasive approach much easier to face — and the warmth of the doctors and nurses there genuinely moved me.

Before I left for Guangzhou on April 22, I had to tell my students I’d be away for treatment. Now, with results this encouraging, I’m hopeful I’ll be back in front of my classroom and reunited with my students and family before long.