Zhang Tingdong

Zhang Tingdong (born 1932) (Chinese, last name is Zhang, first name is Tingdong), is a Chinese medical scientist, pharmaceutical chemist, and educator in Harbin Medical University, 1st affiliated Hospital, best known for discovering of using arsenic trioxide to treat leukemia, which was regarded as a significant breakthrough of anti-leukemia medicine in the 20th Century and improvement for the lives of people with leukemia.^[1]

Zhang Tingdong was born November 8, 1932. In 1950, he graduated from Harbin Medical University. In 1963, he also earned doctor degree of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Ever since, he has worked in the 1st Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, specialized in Hematology of Integrative of Chinese and Western Medicine^[2]

In March 1971, Han Taiyun of the 1st Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University started to treat cancer patients with a formula he collected from traditional Chinese medicine doctors, presumed using an oral formula, a mixture of many ingredients, including arsenic chemicals, mercury chloride, and cinobufagin venom toad. Later, Han Taiyun turned the formula into an injection form, called "713" "cancer spirit" administered by intramuscular injection. For certain tumors it worked and became a local hit. But Han Taiyun gave it up because the formula was too toxic for some patients, including renal toxicity and hypertension.

In 1972, Zhang Tingdong picked up Han Taiyun’s work or started to cooperate with Han Taiyun to continue working on this formula. Instead of working on many cancers, Zhang Tingdong focused mainly on leukemia. Also, instead of using a mixture of many ingredients, Zhang Tingdong started to test each individual component of the formula. He found that arsenic component is effective, mercury chloride was not effective but caused renal toxicity, and cinobufagin venom toad was not effective but caused high blood pressure. Their first paper was published in 1973. Zhang Ting, Pengfei Zhang, Wang shouren, Han Taiyn at the Heilongjiang medical reports. They used "cancer injection" (also called "1st cancer spirit") in the treatment of 6 cases of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. They used arsenic trioxide as the main ingredient, with some trace "pink powder (mercury chloride)". After the treatment, 6 patients with symptoms have improved, including a chronic leukemia acute patients as well. They also mentioned that arsenic trioxide is effective in treating acute leukemia.^[3]

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