A Patient's Journey with Rectal Adenocarcinoma Cancer: Integrating ECCT with Standard Care

In December 2023, a Malaysian man in his 60s received a diagnosis of rectal adenocarcinoma. Despite this serious news, he was in relatively good health with few symptoms. Initial scans raised concerns about potential spread to the liver, but a detailed PET-CT thankfully confirmed the cancer was localized to the rectum.

His medical team recommended a standard course of treatment: radiotherapy combined with low-dose chemotherapy to shrink the tumour before considering surgery.

Alongside this, seeking every advantage and concerned about high tumour marker (CEA) levels, his family decided to incorporate ECCT starting early in 2024. The goal was to potentially improve the chances of shrinking the tumour while helping him maintain his quality of life during treatment.

The patient noticed positive changes just one month after starting ECCT alongside his chemoradiotherapy. His bowel function improved, and he maintained good energy levels with minimal fatigue, a common challenge during cancer therapy. He kept his appetite and weight stable, with only frequent urination (likely from radiotherapy) as a notable side effect.

Three months into his combined treatment plan, imaging brought encouraging news. A CT scan showed the tumour had shrunk significantly, from 4.7 cm down to 2 cm. The liver spots were confirmed to be harmless cysts.

By mid-2024, an MRI confirmed the positive trend: most of the tumour area now appeared to be scar tissue resulting from the treatments, with only a small amount of suspected cancer remaining. Crucially, there was no sign of spread to nearby tissues or lymph nodes.

In August 2024, he underwent surgery to remove the remaining tissue. The pathology report delivered the best possible news: the pre-operative treatments had been highly effective, leaving only tiny, scattered cancer cells. No cancer was found in the lymph nodes or any sign of spread elsewhere.

As of April 2025, he continues with ECCT as part of his follow-up care and is monitored closely. While managing incidental findings like gallstones and prostate enlargement, the most important news is that he remains cancer-free with no detectable disease.