Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Liver cancer was not among the types of illnesses that Ling Ran liked. Due to this, Ling Ran had never taken the initiative to seek patients with liver cancer even though the incidence rate of liver cancer was actually a lot higher than hepatolithiasis.
However, whenever liver cancer patients sought Ling Ran out, he would not refuse to treat them.
It was just that this patient who came all the way from Guangdong was truly not considered an “excellent” patient.
He was of old age and had plenty of underlying diseases. No matter which hospital he went to, he would be considered a tricky case.
Of course, if the patient only suffered from primary cancer which was limited to the liver, Ling Ran would be capable of treating him.
If the cancer had spread to the gallbladder, Ling Ran would still know what to do. However, if the cancer had spread any further, things would be beyond Ling Ran’s capabilities.
Ling Ran decided to meet the patient first.
This was quite rare for him.
Many surgeons did not like to meet their patients for various reasons. And Ling Ran did not like to meet patients merely because he did not like socializing.
However, if the situation really called for it, Ling Ran did not mind meeting his patients.
All of Qi Yuquan’s family members had shown up in the single suite he occupied in the VIP patient building. Aside from Qi Yuquan, who was of old age, his two sons, two daughters, two siblings, siblings’ children and herd of grandchildren were also in the ward.
“Doctor Ling, this old man is extremely rich and powerful. He’ll give you whatever you want, but you must not go overboard.” Zuo Cidian walked alongside Ling Ran and reminded him. Zuo Cidian came up with what he said based on his experience as a doctor and the cadre of a town hospital.
From what he could see, whenever old people got sick, it was normal that all their sons and daughters would be present in the hospital. However, it was not so often that all their siblings would be there too. It was extremely rare for all of a sick old person’s grandchildren, sons-in-law and daughters-in-law to be present in a hospital ward.
Even his teenage grandsons and granddaughters, who were at that age where they were the most rebellious, were here. When it came to teenagers like this, even if their parents were to ask them to visit their sick grandfather, they might not comply. Moreover, young people were often busy with their studies. Only parents who were part of a very influential and powerful family would be able to make their teenage children gather in a hospital room without making a sound.
Zuo Cidian had no idea whether Ling Ran was keeping what he said in mind. He nodded and sat in front of Qi Yuquan.
“Doctor Ling, you are so young.” As the seventy-three-year-old Qi Yuquan gazed at Ling Ran, he felt as though he was looking at his grandson.
He did not mean what he said as an insult. It was just that no matter how he looked at Ling Ran, he found Ling Ran extremely young.
Qi Yuquan seemed a little disappointed. He sighed and said, “When Young Meng introduced you to me, he said that you are an extremely prolific liver surgeon. Hm… Doctor Ling, how many patients with liver cancer have you operated on before?”
“When doctors talk about surgery for patients with liver cancer, we usually refer to hepatectomy in general. Doctor Ling has performed more than five hundred cases of hepatectomy, and is one of the top liver surgeons in Yun Hua Hospital,” Zuo Cidian answered on Ling Ran’s behalf.
“Is five hundred cases really considered a lot?” One of Qi Yuquan’s brother could not help but ask.
Qi Yuquan darted his brother a sidelong glance. “Next time, do your research before asking this kind of question.”
“Oh, all right.” Qi Yuquan’s younger brother who was around sixty years old was as obedient as a little kitten.
“Doctor Ling, I heard that you have operated on Elder Mei before?” It was no surprise at all that Qi Yuquan used this example.
Ling Ran smiled and said nothing.
Qi Yuquan, too, smiled. He said, “Doctor Ling, as you can see, I’m a little richer than most people. However, my illness is not something money could cure. So, I hope that you will try your best to treat me.”
Without batting an eyelid, Qi Yuquan had taken control of the conversation.
Ling Ran was about to reply when Zuo Cidian coughed a few times and said, “Doctor Ling, I really need to talk to you about something…”
As he spoke, Zuo Cidian dragged Ling Ran out of the room.
What Qi Yuquan said just now validated the fact that Meng Shan had been sending patients to Ling Ran.
And because of this, there were many things on Zuo Cidian’s mind. Even though the patients with ruptured Achilles tendons that he referred to Ling Ran earlier were fairly ordinary, the patient they were dealing with right now was obviously a little out of the ordinary.
First of all, he could afford a suite in the VIP patient building.
He was the kind of patient that private hospitals liked the most. Meng Shan was probably personally acquainted with either Qi Yuquan or one of his family members. Hence, even though Meng Shan was not a liver surgeon himself, he was still able to influence the old man’s choice.
Despite the old man’s wealth, Meng Shan chose to recommend Ling Ran instead of doctors who were friends with him to him. What did this say about the old man? It meant that his condition was extremely complicated.
The patients Meng Shan sent to Ling Ran before this were patients who were not suitable to be treated in Eastern Science Hospital where Meng Shan was working in. In short, it meant that those patients were neither rich nor famous. Even though they had registered in a private hospital, they probably could not afford to get operated and admitted there.
Doctors working in ordinary private hospitals might find a way to keep this kind of patients, but there was no need at all for Meng Shan, who was a renowned sports medicine specialist, to do this. He might have intended to bring Ling Ran a little bit of trouble by sending those patients to Ling Ran. It might also be a way to express his disdain toward Ling Ran. This was Zuo Cidian’s opinion before this.
However, the patient they were dealing with right now might be nothing but a trap.
He was a seventy-three-year-old man. And no matter what illness people of this age suffered from, things could turn out to be very complicated.
For illnesses such as liver cancer, even the slightest accident might result in death. If this happened, what would other people think of Ling Ran?
The more Zuo Cidian thought about it, the more worried he became. He could not help but said to Ling Ran, “You never liked treating cancer patients, right? This patient is old with plenty of underlying diseases, so you shouldn’t agree to treat him. I’ll explain things to them.”
Ling Ran shook his head firmly. “The patient is indeed old with plenty of underlying diseases. This is precisely why I would like to operate on him.”
“What do you mean?”
“The five-year survival rate for patients with liver cancer is relatively low, and there’s a high probability of recurrence. However, with Qi Yuquan’s age, as long as the surgery is done well, his life expectancy and quality of life would increase greatly. This might not be a cure, but there wouldn’t be much difference to it.” Ling Ran’s answer was totally out of Zuo Cidian’s expectation.
Of course, when it came to Ling Ran, Zuo Cidian had learned to not have any expectations.
If Zuo Cidian were a chief physician, he would probably forbid Ling Ran from operating on Qi Yuquan. However, he was merely Ling Ran’s subordinate.
Zuo Cidian could only say in resignation, “Doctor Ling, have you thought about the possibility that the patient might suffer from some other illness that might easily kill him, then?”
“You’re right. This is extremely troublesome indeed.” Ling Ran said, but it was obvious that this did not trouble him. It was mainly because he was extremely skilled in hepatectomy. He possessed Perfect Level Hepatectomy, and this skill would be of great help to a patient with liver cancer.
“This is why…”
Ling Ran waved and dismissed Zuo Cidian’s good advice. He turned and returned to the room. He then asked Qi Yuquan to lie down and performed a physical examination on him.
After talking to Qi Yuquan for a while, he ordered Zuo Cidian. “We’re taking this patient.”
Based on what he could gather by performing a physical examination on Qi Yuquan along with the PET scans and other scans, he reckoned that Qi Yuquan’s cancer cells had not spread yet.
However, even if the cancer cells had spread, Ling Ran was still confident that he was capable of increasing the patient’s life expectancy. At most, he would just work together with other specialists.
As the patient was a seventy-three-year-old man, increasing his life expectancy was the most realistic thing to do.
After he returned to the office, Ling Ran utilized his Virtual Human skill to create a simulation of Qi Yuquan’s body.
Since he had agreed to operate on Qi Yuquan, he made it a point to do it well.
After Ling Ran closed the office door, he used a virtual scalpel to make a large incision on the simulation of Qi Yuquan’s body.
“Hm… it’s pretty special indeed.” Ling Ran nodded a little as he practiced on the simulation.
