Woman, 32, ‘cured’ of terminal bowel cancer after liver transplant in world-first ‘breakthrough’ operation
A WOMAN is cancer-free after undergoing the UK’s first liver transplant for advanced bowel cancer.
Bianca Perea, 32, was given the surgery in the hope it could offer a potential cure for her deadly disease.
The procedure has been a huge success and together with other treatments – targeted drug therapy, chemotherapy and surgery – the trainee lawyer, from Manchester, has no signs of cancer anywhere in her body.
Ms Perea first visited her GP in Wigan, where she lives, after feeling constipated and bloated.
She was referred to her local hospital, where she had blood tests and a stool sample taken.
When medics noted high levels of blood in her stool, she was referred for a colonoscopy and biopsy.
In November 2021, Ms Perea was told she had stage four bowel cancer – the most advanced kind – which had spread to all eight segments of her liver.
“I actually didn’t have really bad symptoms at all,” she said.
“I’d noticed a change in my bowel habits and also bloating and a little bit of pain in my stomach.
“I was 29 at the time and I was never bloated to the extent I couldn’t do up my clothes or my trousers; it was just a little bit uncomfortable.
“But every time an advert on television would come up about cancer, even if it wasn’t bowel cancer, it would kind of jump out of the TV at me.
“It was quite weird, as if I was being told, ‘something’s not right’.”
During the colonoscopy, a camera on a thin tube was passed through the bowel to examine it in full detail.
Ms Perea said: “I remember the doctor at the time – there was a blockage in my bowel and he couldn’t get the camera past.
“He said to me, ‘I’ve taken some biopsies. If you were 60 and above, I would say that is most definitely cancer, but because you’re so young, I just can’t see how that could be that in you’.
“He said, ‘In the meantime, I don’t want to delay getting you a CT scan on the rest of your bowel and also your thorax and abdomen to see if it has spread’.
“At that point, I felt a real, like, ‘Wow, is this something serious?'”
Following the biopsy, Ms Perea was called back to speak to doctors, who delivered the devastating news she had cancer.
“I went into the room, and the doctor who had done my colonoscopy was there, and he told me, ‘This isn’t good. It is bowel cancer and it has spread to your liver’,” she said.
“He said, ‘We are looking at prolonging your life rather than a cure’. And I just remember everything slowed down.”
I’ve been given a second chance at life and I’m going to grab it with both hands
Bianca Perea
Ms Perea accepted the diagnosis, but said she refused to believe the outlook was so bleak.
“I don’t want to sound kind of ignorant or arrogant or anything like that but I just didn’t feel in my gut that that was going to be it,” she said.
An emergency stoma was fitted and Ms Perea’s mum asked about a possible transplant. But medics said it was not a feasible treatment.
She was then referred to the Christie NHS Foundation Trust’s local treatment centre in Wigan in early December 2021.
There, she had 37 rounds of a targeted drug called panitumumab plus chemotherapy for two and a half years.
Ms Perea responded well, meaning she could have surgery in May 2023 to remove the bowel tumour.
However, scans showed she still had tumours in her liver, which could not be operated on.
Nevertheless, because her response to chemotherapy had been so good and her bowel cancer was seemingly gone, doctors began to look at liver transplants.
Ms Perea was added to the transplant list in February 2024 and was lucky enough to find a donor, which meant she had the operation last summer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
The signs of bowel cancer you need to know - remember BOWEL
- B:Bleeding
There are several possible causes of bleeding from your bottom, of blood in your poo.
Bright red blood could come from swollen blood vessels, haemorrhoids or piles, in your back passage.
Dark red or black blood could come from your bowel or stomach.
Blood in your stools is one of the key signs of bowel cancer, so it’s important to mention it to your doctor so they can investigate.
2. O: Obvious change in loo habits
It’s important to tell your GP if you have noticed any changes in your bowel habits, that lasts three weeks or longer.
It’s especially important if you have also noticed signs of blood in your poo.
You might notice you need to go to the loo more often, you might have looser stools or feel like you’re not going enough or fully emptying your bowels.
Don’t be embarrassed, your GP will have heard a lot worse! Speak up and get it checked.
3. W: Weight loss
This is less common than the other symptoms, but an important one to be aware of. If you’ve lost weight and don’t really know why, it’s worth mentioning to your GP.
You may not feel like eating, feel sick, bloated and not hungry.
4. E: Extreme tiredness
Bowel cancer that causes bleeding can cause a lack of iron in the body – anaemia. If you develop anaemia you’re likely to feel tired and your skin might look pale.
5. L: Lump or pain
As with lots of other forms of cancer, a lump or pain can be a sign of bowel cancer.
It’s most likely you’ll notice a pain or lump in your stomach or back passage.
See your GP if it doesn’t go away, or if it affects how you eat or sleep
“Within four weeks of going under the knife, I was able to drive and walk the family dogs – it was really quite incredible,” she said.
“To go from being told I’d only have a short time to live to now being cancer-free is the greatest gift.
“I’ve been given a second chance at life and I’m going to grab it with both hands.
“I am so grateful to the family who agreed to donate their loved one’s liver.
“I do believe this is a cure. They’re always hesitant to say that, obviously, but I am cancer-free right now.”
‘All-clear’
Dr Kalena Marti, who is Ms Perea’s oncologist at the Christie, said: “To see that Bianca has had such a positive outcome is wonderful.
“When we looked at the tumour cells in her liver after it had been removed, they weren’t active.
“This is excellent news, and we hope that this means that the cancer won’t come back.
“Advanced bowel cancer is complex and there are lots of different types of the disease, so what works for one person might not work for another.
“As a result, it’s important that we continue to develop new treatments.
“Thanks to the generosity of organ donors and their loved ones, we can now access liver transplants for some patients, which is fantastic.”
Dr Ian Rowe, honorary consultant hepatologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, added: “I’m delighted that Bianca has responded so well to the treatment and that she is now cancer-free.
“In Leeds, we are the third biggest centre for liver transplantation in the UK, and our specialist team serves a wide population across the North of England.
“We are, of course, indebted to the family of the organ donor – as is made clear with Bianca’s case, organ donation saves lives.
“It is important that people register their decision to donate on the NHS organ donor register and make their decision known to their loved ones.
“Families will always be consulted on any decisions around organ donation.”
Ms Perea is looking forward to going on holiday this year and is working on improving her fitness.
“My liver is doing really well,” she said.
“I get tests on that, and I’ve just had my second scan and that’s all clear, so it’s really good.”