More Than Fighting the Tumour: A Supportive Lung Cancer Treatment Journey with ECCT

Malaysia, 65, If you had met Man Choy Heng earlier this year, you might not have immediately realised how much she was carrying.

At 65, she was still working as a teacher, still walking around for work, still trying to keep life moving. But behind that determination was a difficult battle with lung cancer that had already taken her through multiple treatments, worrying scans, hospital admissions and a persistent cough that affected almost every part of her day.

Her journey with cancer had started in July 2024, when she was first diagnosed with lung cancer involving the right lower lobe. A friend diagnosis of TB has raised her concern of her chronic coughing that lead her to further examine herself. An abnormal X-Ray scan lead the doctor to further perform CT scan and later she found herself diagnosed with lung cancer. She soon start coughing blood.

Over time, her Lung Cancer Treatment included microwave ablation (MWA), chemotherapy, and targeted therapy. She did not undergo surgery. Molecular testing through NGS (Next-Generation Sequencing) was also performed in July 2025 to further assess the disease and treatment options.

By late 2025, however, the scans were becoming increasingly concerning. A CT scan on 12 November 2025 showed marked interval progression around the right hilum and bronchial tree, progression of surrounding lung abnormalities suspicious for further tumour infiltration, and new small metastatic deposits in the right lower lung. The report described findings highly suggestive of disease progression despite the treatments she had already received.

By early 2026, things were still far from easy. She had started cabozantinib, a targeted therapy, approximately two months before her April review. The original dose of 60 mg was reduced to 40 mg because of side effects, including episodes involving blood clot expectoration. Around the same period, she was dealing with a chronic cough, blood-streaked sputum, hoarseness and shortness of breath. Lying flat was difficult enough that she needed to sleep with two pillows. Her cough was also affecting her sleep and appetite. Her condition had also shown up clearly in her blood results.

On 2 March 2026, her CRP was 127.8 mg/L, indicating a significant inflammatory burden, while her albumin was only 22 g/L, reflecting poor nutritional and protein status. Her haemoglobin was 10.2 g/dL and platelet count was elevated at 416. These numbers matched what was happening clinically: this was not someone simply dealing with a scan result on paper. Her body was under considerable stress.

Then came another difficult scan.

A CT chest on 11 March 2026 showed a large cavitating mass in the right lower lobe, together with new nodular lesions, surrounding collapsed lung consolidation and a minimal-to-moderate loculated pleural effusion or possible hydropneumothorax. There was some regression in the mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes, but overall, the disease picture was still complicated and serious. This lead Madam Jackie to look outside of conventional approach. She found ECCT on Facebook, consulted Dr Bilgin and Dr Chandran, look into the scientific publication and eventually checked with her oncology. Since it's external, her oncology did not object to her choice.

On 19 March 2026, Man Choy began ECCT to support her Lung Cancer Treatment while continuing her medical treatment.

Importantly, this was not a story of replacing her oncology treatment with ECCT. She was already on cabozantinib, and the improvement that followed happened in the context of a combined and closely monitored treatment journey. She also received supportive medical care when required, including hospital treatment during an episode of high fever, antibiotics, cough medication and medication intended to help control bleeding.

Her ECCT programme started cautiously by medical team lead by Dr Chandran. She began with just 15-minute sessions using the long vest, gradually increasing to 30 minutes, then one hour, and eventually reaching two-hour sessions twice daily. There were rest days built into the schedule, and adjustments were made around her health condition, hospital admission and work commitments.

And little by little, there were changes worth paying attention to in her Lung Cancer Treatment.

• The Blood Results Started Moving in a Better Direction

• Her inflammatory markers showed a striking downward trend over the following months.

• Her CRP, which had been 127.8 mg/L on 2 March, dropped to 31.8 mg/L by early April, and then reached 1.0 mg/L in May.

• Her albumin also moved in the opposite direction. From 22 g/L in March, it increased to 29 g/L in early April and then 33 g/L in May.

• Her haemoglobin also improved from 10.2 g/dL in March to 12.0 g/dL by mid-May.

• Her sodium, which had fallen to 125 mmol/L during an April hospital episode, improved to 134 mmol/L in May.

None of these numbers alone tells the whole story. Blood parameters can change for many reasons, including cancer treatment, recovery from infection or inflammation, nutrition and other medical interventions. But when placed alongside her clinical progress and imaging results, they became part of a broader picture that was clearly more encouraging than where she had started.

Then Came the Scan Everyone Was Waiting For. The most important question, of course, was whether the improvement could also be seen on imaging.

On 13 June 2026, roughly three months after starting ECCT alongside cabozantinib, her follow-up CT chest brought encouraging news.

The scan also showed:

• Her tumour shrinked measured approximately 39 × 40 mm, compared with a previously remeasured size of 54 × 66 mm.

  Partial resolution of the thick nodular wall around the lesion.

• The previously documented cavitating mass had become smaller. Improvement in the adjacent collapsed lung consolidation.

• Resolution of the previous fluid levels.

• Resolution of the loculated right pleural effusion.

• Stable nodular lesions elsewhere in the right lower lobe.

• No new metastases or significant disease progression.

A further CT report dated 23 June 2026 documented the same overall picture: a smaller primary cavitating mass, resolution of previous inflammatory changes and no new metastases or significant progression.

For someone who had faced disease progression only months earlier, this was a meaningful shift in direction.

But Perhaps the Most Human Part of the Story Was How She Was Living. Numbers and scans are important, but they do not tell you whether someone is able to sit comfortably, eat properly, go outside or start making plans again.

By the July review, Madam Jackie was alert, sitting upright and able to speak in full sentences without appearing breathless. Her appetite was okay, and her weight had increased from 47 kg to 49 kg. She had retired from teaching and was taking walks twice a week.

Her cough had not disappeared completely. It was still one of the lingering problems, particularly when lying down, and she occasionally experienced lethargy. But the cough had become unproductive, and the severe picture from earlier in the year, blood in the sputum, difficulty lying flat, poor sleep and repeated physical stress, was no longer the whole story.

Every improvement is an encouragement in her journey:

• Her CRP fell from 127.8 mg/L to 1.0 mg/L.

• Her albumin improved from 22 g/L to 33 g/L.

• Her haemoglobin improved from 10.2 g/dL to 12.0 g/dL.

• Her weight increased from 47 kg to 49 kg.

• Her primary lung mass reduced from approximately 54 × 66 mm to 39 × 40 mm.

• And most importantly, the follow-up CT described a partial response, with resolution of previous inflammatory changes and no new metastases or significant progression.

• Her scans became more encouraging.

• Her inflammatory and nutritional markers improved.

• She was able to sit up, walk and speak comfortably.

  
  

For Man Choy, that is perhaps what progress looked like: not one dramatic overnight miracle, but a series of measurable improvements that slowly gave her back something incredibly important, more stability, more strength, and more room to live her life while continuing the fight.

This case describes an individual’s documented journey and is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical consultation, diagnosis, or standard-of-care treatment. Individual outcomes may vary, and this case should not be interpreted as a guarantee or indication that any particular outcome, response, improvement, or result will occur in another individual.