An Ely man who almost five years ago was told he had a year left to live after cancer spread from his bowel to the liver says he has “got his life back” due to a pioneering treatment which has cured him.
Brian Brooks, 75, benefitted from a “cancer bullet” treatment which has shown significant success in halting the growth of tumours.
The use of tiny radioactive beads, called microspheres, has helped to stunt tumour growth in patients like Mr Brooks whose cancer has spread from the bowel to the liver.
Treatment using the microspheres together with chemotherapy has halted the growth of tumours for eight months longer than with chemotherapy alone. In some cases, the tumours have disappeared altogether.
BRIAN’S ‘MIRACLE’ IN HIS WORDS
In September 2010 I was diagnosed with bowel cancer and very shortly after that I was told that it had now spread to the liver and was told that unfortunately the liver tumours were inoperable and I’ve probably got about 12 months to live.
The only option was palliative care with some chemotherapy which would have worked ... well appears to have worked on the bowel but what effect it would have had on the liver, they didn’t give us any hope for that at all.
It wasn’t until a little later on when I found out about the trials that there were taking place, and I was fortunate enough to get on, that suddenly there was some hope there.
The wire was put in through the groin with a camera up into the area where we were going to put the microspheres directly into the tumour.
That was completed and then after a short period of time they told me they were now going to start injecting the microspheres directly into the tumour.
After the first side of the liver was completed they then went to the right-hand side and the same process was undergone but as far as the right-hand side was undertaken, then I didn’t feel half the pain, largely I suspect because the tumour, tumours in the right-hand side were no way as big as the ones on the left. The whole process took something like two hours.
As far as the treatment went, following the completion of the operation, and the 12-24 hours after the nuclear x-ray then I’ve had no effects whatsoever from it, no side effects, no detrimental effects in any way. It’s just been fantastic.
(After a second scan) I was told that all the liver tumours have been completely resolved - she said they’ve disappeared, there’s none left.
It was out of the blue and there seemed to be no rational explanation as to why they just disappeared and you know it was a miracle. As simple as that.
I mean, we say yes it’s a miracle but with saying it’s a miracle it’s you know the people that have designed the beads and the people that know how to put them in and all the rest of it. You know that’s where it comes from.
As a result of the treatment my cancer was in remission and the bowel tumour would now become a viable operation.
I went and saw the consultant and he confirmed that. He undertook the operation to remove the bowel tumour and following that and the biopsies I’ve been told there is no sign of any cancer left in the bowel.
Well life’s begun again hasn’t it. The life that one thought was ended within 12 months, it´s just started again.
The treatment. The chemo. The bowel removal. It’s just absolutely wonderful. I got my life back.
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