21st Century Necromancer

After settling matters regarding supplies and virus samples with Professor Zhang, Chen Yu felt somewhat relieved, feeling that he had done what he could for his colleagues on the frontlines.

Since everything was arranged, Chen Yu was able to take a moment to adjust his mood and refocus his energy and attention back to his own work.

During a previous round of consultations, he encountered an obasan with early-stage gastric cancer whose X-rays and CT images showed some shadows in the pancreatic area. Chen Yu suspected that she might have developed pancreatic cancer concurrently with early-stage gastric cancer.

The stomach and pancreas are located very close to each other, and after the spread of gastric cancer, it is common for cancer cells to metastasize to the pancreas. However, it is extremely rare to detect concurrent pancreatic cancer at such an early stage of the disease.

Chen Yu had not noticed at first, but the sodium level in the obasan's lab report exceeded the normal values for early-stage gastric cancer patients, and there were abnormal shadows in the X-rays, prompting his concern.

As for Jounouchi Hiromi's examination, it further confirmed Chen Yu's judgement.

After reviewing the obasan's medical records again, Chen Yu became even more confident in his diagnosis. He looked at the time and realizing it was almost the agreed time, he picked up the obasan's medical record from his desk and left his office.

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Chen Yu entered a small conference room, placed the obasan's X-rays and CT images from her medical records onto the lightbox, while doing so, the attending physician responsible for the obasan, Doctor Zhihe from the department of gynecology, entered the room.

"Professor Chen Yu, you were looking for me?" Doctor Zhihe, a woman in her forties, greeted Chen Yu and then stood by his side, looking at the X-rays and CT images on the lightbox together with him.

Doctor Zhihe was not a professor of gynecology, but rather, like Jounouchi Hiromi, she was a lecturer. After all, at the University Hospital, climbing to a professorship was not an easy task, especially for a female doctor.

"Doctor Zhihe, is that right? Is Ms. Futihashi Junko in bed 1607 your patient? Have you closely examined her records?" Chen Yu inquired of Doctor Zhihe, identifying Futihashi as the surname of the obasan.

"Ms. Futihashi? I've reviewed her records; she was transferred from internal medicine with an early-stage gastric cancer diagnosis. Is there something wrong with that diagnosis?" Doctor Zhihe felt perplexed; she had looked at the obasan's records when they were transferred from internal medicine, and they indeed reflected the symptoms of early-stage gastric cancer with no misdiagnosis.

Hearing Doctor Zhihe say this, Chen Yu did not offer further explanation, but simply tapped on a shadow in the CT image in front of them, suggesting she take a look for herself: "What is this?"

Doctor Zhihe, puzzled, leaned in to examine the CT image carefully, but this close inspection made her also notice something was amiss.

Although the shadow on the CT image was small and its outline not very clear, the presence of the shadow could still be discerned.

"It's understandable if you didn't notice on the blurry X-ray, but you also missed the shadow on the CT image? And you didn't pay attention to the excessive salt levels in the lab report?" Chen Yu reproached Doctor Zhihe somewhat discontentedly.

Faced with Chen Yu's reproach, Doctor Zhihe was visibly embarrassed; indeed, this could be considered a negligence on her part.

Yet, despite being reprimanded thus by Chen Yu, Doctor Zhihe still bowed her head and apologized: "I'm sorry, Professor Chen Yu, that was my oversight. Please forgive me."

"It's indeed a very rare occurrence to have early-stage gastric cancer with concurrent early-stage pancreatic cancer, and from your standpoint, an oversight might be excusable, but for the patient, it is unforgivable. I hope you understand that for you, the patient may be one among the countless you see daily, but for the patient, your diagnosis is the only light they have in the darkness brought on by their disease," Chen Yu spoke gravely. A misdiagnosis may seem inevitable, but for patients, a misdiagnosis could very likely mean a lost life.

Chen Yu's words weighed heavily on Doctor Zhihe; had there been others in the conference room, she might have been unable to save face.

However, Chen Yu's purpose in summoning Doctor Zhihe was not to reproach her for her errors. After moving past that topic, he redirected the discussion back to the obasan's medical condition: "What surgical plan had you originally devised for Ms. Futihashi?"

"Considering Ms. Futihashi's age and physical condition, I was planning to perform laparoscopic surgery to remove the tumor in her stomach, to lessen the strain on her body and allow for quicker recovery from the operation," Doctor Zhihe said. Despite her oversight, her surgical plan was sound.

"Hmm, Ms. Futihashi's age does indeed make her unsuitable for open surgery, but laparoscopic surgery... Are you confident you can perform it?" Chen Yu asked Doctor Zhihe, sounding somewhat wary. Discovering tumors in both the stomach and pancreas at an early stage was itself exceptionally rare, and opting for laparoscopic surgery set high demands on the surgeon's skill; naturally, Chen Yu's concern about Doctor Zhihe's capabilities was understandable.

"This... If it were just the gastric tumor surgery, I would be confident in completing it, but if we also have to remove a pancreatic tumor..." Doctor Zhihe seemed less certain; she would be able to handle open surgery without issue, but laparoscopy was another matter... She had not yet performed surgery of such difficulty.

Understanding Doctor Zhihe's hesitation, Chen Yu nodded, then said, "Then it looks like you'll only be able to assist in this operation. I'll talk to Professor Kube and arrange for another doctor to take the lead."

Professor Kube, the Chief of Surgery, managed all surgical procedures at the hospital. While he usually delegated the management of individual surgeries to the professors of each department, the assignment of surgery across departments still needed his approval.

Although Chen Yu was favored by Professor Kube, he clearly did not presume to make decisions in Kube's stead, nor did he intend to do so.

"Thank you, Professor Chen Yu." Although it was a tough situation for Doctor Zhihe and she would later face questioning by the professors of gynecology, it was far better than performing surgery only to discover a misdiagnosis or missed diagnosis afterward.

"Since you are Ms. Futihashi's primary physician, the task of informing her about the concurrent pancreatic cancer will be yours," Chen Yu said, glancing at Doctor Zhihe and nodding slightly to her before leaving the conference room.