UK's First Liver Transplant Cures Woman's Advanced Cancer

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Facts

  • Bianca Perea, a 32-year-old trainee lawyer from Manchester, is cancer-free after receiving the UK's first liver transplant for advanced bowel cancer.[1][2]
  • After she was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer that had spread to all eight segments of her liver in November 2021, doctors initially focused on prolonging her life rather than finding a cure.[3][4]
  • Following 37 rounds of targeted drug therapy with panitumumab and chemotherapy over two and a half years, Perea underwent surgery in May 2023 to remove her bowel tumor.[5][6]
  • After being added to the transplant list in February 2024, Perea received her liver transplant last summer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.[3][6]
  • Within four weeks of the transplant surgery, Perea was able to resume normal activities, including driving and walking her dogs, with subsequent scans showing no signs of cancer.[3][4]
  • Dr. Kalena Marti, Perea's oncologist, confirmed that the tumor cells in the removed liver were inactive, suggesting a positive long-term outlook.[3][6]

Sources: [1]Sky News, [2[The Sun, [3]BBC News, [4]Independent, [5]Metro and [6]The Times of India.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by BBC News. This successful liver transplant represents a revolutionary breakthrough in cancer treatment. It not only offers new hope for patients with limited treatment options for advanced bowel cancer but also highlights the life-saving potential of organ donation in expanding treatment possibilities.
  • Narrative B, as provided by NHS The Christie. While this groundbreaking procedure shows promise, it will only be suitable for a small proportion of patients. The medical community is still learning about appropriate patient selection criteria for this type of treatment. Accordingly, it's crucial to continue developing multiple treatment approaches for advanced bowel cancer in the meantime.