'I’m cancer-free': How UK's first liver transplant for bowel cancer saved young lawyer's life - Video

Bianca Perea, 32, was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in November 2021, which had spread to all eight segments of her liver. Despite the grim prognosis, she is now cancer-free following innovative medical interventions.

“I noticed a change for me and then, also, bloating and a little bit of pain in my stomach. I was 29 at the time and bloating with, you know, monthly periods and things in food nowadays that I didn't know if I was maybe gluten intolerant... it was just a little bit uncomfortable,” Bianca explained about her initial symptoms.

She first consulted her general practitioner in Wigan after experiencing persistent bloating and constipation. Tests, including a colonoscopy and biopsy, confirmed the presence of advanced bowel cancer. Doctors initially aimed to prolong her life rather than find a cure.

Despite the daunting diagnosis, Bianca remained hopeful. “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. 

Her mother had enquired about the possibility of a liver transplant, but the procedure was initially deemed unsuitable.

Bianca underwent 37 rounds of a targeted drug therapy called panitumumab combined with chemotherapy over two and a half years. Her exceptional response to the treatment allowed her to have surgery in May 2023 to remove the bowel tumour.

However, scans revealed inoperable liver tumours. Given her remarkable progress, doctors reconsidered the possibility of a liver transplant.

She was added to the transplant list in February 2024 and received a donor liver last summer.

“Within four weeks of going under the knife, I was able to drive and walk the family dogs. It was really quite incredible. To go from being told I’d only have a short time to live to now being cancer-free is the greatest gift,” she said.

Dr. Kalena Marti, Bianca’s oncologist, expressed optimism about her recovery. “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.”

Bianca, happy about the outcome of the procedure, expressed gratitude to her donor’s family, saying, “I’ve been given a second chance at life, and I’m going to grab it with both hands. I do believe this is a cure. They’re always hesitant to say that, obviously, but I am cancer-free right now.”