THIS IS AN INDEPENDENT SPREAD BY MEDIAPLANET WHO TAKE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ITS CONTENTPatient story
When Martyn Griffiths couldn’t stop coughing, he
saw his GP to be on the safe side. A shadow on
his liver revealed that he had primary liver cancer
(hepatocellular carcinoma – HCC).A
t 58-years old, Martyn was
given the dire news that he
would most likely only have a
maximum of five years left to
live unless he undertook a radical new
treatment, SIRT.
This would include injecting tiny
radioactive beads into the artery that
supplied blood to the tumour, all
through a catheter in his femoral artery.
The aim was to reduce the tumour
which could later be removed, while
saving his healthy liver tissue.
Martyn decided after being given no
option for alternative cancer treatments
that he would need to accept the SIRT
solution. “I said where do I sign?”,
remembering the day he was diagnosed
in 2014. But what Martyn didn’t know
was that SIRT was yet to be made
available on the NHS and was actually
funded through a charity at Newcastle
Freeman Hospital.Martyn says, “I didn’t want to fade
away, I wanted to fight for my family’s
sake – and anyone given the option of
SIRT should absolutely go ahead and
do the same. That’s why I want to speak
out and encourage other people to have
SIRT, which is a life saving treatment that
should be readily available on the NHS.”
While Martyn needed two treatments
of SIRT to shrink his grapefruit sized
tumour, he has now fully recovered
after a major operation to remove the
tumour by the skilled surgical team at
the Newcastle Freeman Hospital. While
he still has regular scans, for now he
can mostly continue living his life as it
was before the cancer diagnosis.
Although doctors have suggested
he stay tee total from now on. “I do
miss the social side of drinking” says
Martyn. “Especially now I only have a
soft drink with my Sunday pub lunch.
But it’s a small price to pay for having
my life given back to me.”How SIRT gave
Martyn back his life
after liver cancer
Martyn Griffiths
PatientFor the 5000 people in the UK that are diagnosed with primary
liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), treatment
choices have been severely limited. Now there’s a new option.SPREAD WRITTEN BY
Gina ClarkeA liver cancer
diagnosis is devastating
- but SIRT can help
T
he British Liver Trust has continued
to work with the National Institute for
Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
during its examination into the use
of selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT).
Earlier this year, NICE announced that it
would fund SIRT on the NHS, meaning that an
estimated 36% of HCC sufferers will be eligible
for the treatment.
Vanessa Hebditch, Director of
Communications and
Policy at the British Liver
Trust was part of the team
who helped NICE compile
evidence and testimony
from current sufferers,
highlighting the current
lack of options.The forgotten cancer
She says, “Liver cancer in the UK is one of those
forgotten cancers that doesn’t seem to get the
same attention as other mainstream cancers.
Not only does it have a grim prognosis – only
13% reach five-year survival rate, but it also
comes with a large stigma attached.”
Hebditch explains that for a large majority of
people diagnosed with liver cancer, they mayalso have liver disease which complicates any
treatment plan. While liver disease is often
known as a bi-product of alcoholism, there are
actually many reasons why the liver might be
damaged.Improving access to treatment
However, for those with primary cancer of the
liver or HCC, it is hoped that SIRT will stop the
tumour from growing further and hopefully
shrink it ready
for removal without the
need to take out any
healthy liver tissue.
Hebditch says, “For us
this new treatment is really
important, we’re delighted
for patients who now have
access to this life-changer.
Not only will it prolong
life but it also offers a better quality of life. We
only hope that all patients will have access to
this treatment, wherever they live. Hopefully a
wider provision of the service will come in time,
although we acknowledge that at the moment it
is still a specialist service.”Liver cancer in the UK is one of
those forgotten cancers that doesn’t
seem to get the same attention as
other mainstream cancers.I didn’t want to fade away, I wanted
to fight for my family’s sake – and
anyone given the option of SIRT should
absolutely go ahead and do the same.Vanessa Hebditch
Director of Communications
and Policy, British Liver TrustVials of TheraSphere – the tiny
radioactive beads used in SIRT
treatment. Beads shown in size
comparison to a human hair.Find out more at
bostonscientific.com/en-EUImages provided by Boston Scientific