A success story: Life changing treatment for liver metastases – Chemosaturation Therapy
The patient’s Story: Mrs Danby was diagnosed with liver metastasis in early 2015, and surgery was not an option. The Harley Street Clinic’s Chemosaturation Therapy changed Mrs Danby’s life.
Before chemosaturation therapy, Mrs Danby had already received eight rounds of chemotherapy, a mastectomy and a course of radiotherapy. Liver surgery to remove the tumours was not an option for her, because the tumours were spread across the entire liver.
After a lot of online research and reviewing similar patient stories, Mrs Danby attended The
Christie Clinic in Manchester (part of HCA UK) to review her options for targeted treatments
to deal with the liver tumours. After considering many options her Medical Oncologist, Dr
Greg Wilson recommended the option of chemosaturation therapy through The Harley Street
Clinic in London.
Treatment at HCA Healthcare UK
Mrs Danby was treated with chemosaturation therapy at The Harley Street Clinic, part of HCA
UK, and Dr Julian Hague, Interventional Oncologist at LION Oncology, undertook the
procedures. She received her first course of chemosaturation therapy in November 2015,
followed by a second course of treatment in May 2016.
Chemosaturation therapy is a method of treating cancers in the liver. It is a procedure carried
out under general anaesthetic. The concept of chemosaturation therapy is to temporarily
isolate the liver from the body’s blood circulation and deliver a concentrated dose of an anti-
cancer drug directly to the liver, “saturating” the entire organ.
Blood leaving the liver is directed outside of the body to filters that remove most of the anti-
cancer drug before returning it to the body. The anti-cancer drug can be given at higher concentration levels than is possible in systemic chemotherapy because the liver is isolated from the rest of the body. By delivering this drug to the entire liver, treatment is administered to potentially both visible tumours and undetected microtumours.Despite the invasive nature of the treatment, Mrs Danby found that she had milder side effects after the procedures, compared with regular chemotherapy. As with most major surgery she felt unwell for a couple of days after each treatment, she also experienced some residual tiredness lasting for a few weeks. On both of her treatments Mrs Danby required an inpatient stay of 3 days post treatment.
The procedure was successful in shrinking Mrs Danby’s tumours and subsequently a liver surgeon removed her remaining liver tumours in August 2016.
Since receiving treatment at The Harley Street Clinic, Mrs Danby shows no evidence of any active cancer in the liver and is now feeling much better and is back at work part-time. Jacqueline was particularly impressed with the nursing staff in the intensive care ward at The Harley Street Clinic, saying that their care was ‘fantastic’. The Lion Group staff and consultants were also incredibly kind and attentive, making her feel very safe.
Jacqueline said:
“Everyone at The Harley Street Clinic was lovely. I couldn’t fault the doctor or the anaesthetist, they were both amazing. I was initially scared at the thought of the treatment as it involved a major operation, but without chemosaturation therapy there is a possibility that I wouldn’t be here now. I am enjoying getting back to my normal routine, working and spending time with friends and family”.
Dr Gregory Wilson, Consultant Medical Oncologist:
“Mrs Danby has had a fantastic outcome from her chemosaturation therapy for the breast
cancer that spread to the liver. She is now in complete remission with no sign of cancer on
the scans. She tolerated the treatments extremely well and side effects were minimal. She is
real pioneer and has had a very positive outcome from this new technology. We at LION
have been delighted with her excellent outcome”.
Dr Julian Hague, Consultant Interventional Radiologist:
“We are very hopeful that chemosaturation therapy will become an important treatment method for these patients. Our experience so far shows that with the right highly trained team, this is a safe procedure and is very well tolerated. furthermore, unlike many other liver treatments, it can be repeated as needed without damaging the liver”.]
Click here for more information regarding The Harley Street Clinic, where our team delivers Chemosaturation Therapy.
Click here for more information from DELCATH Systems Ltd, who provide the technology for Chemosaturation Therapy.
Minimally Invasive Treatment Spares A Kidney
Mrs AR was diagnosed with a small kidney mass during a scan for stomach ache. The lump in her kidney was not causing the ache, but once it was discovered she had to deal with it. This is not an uncommon scenario.
She was referred to a Urologist to find out whether the lump could be removed. This would have been possible, but because of the position of the lump, the whole kidney would need to be taken away. The Urologist suggested that she get referred to Dr Rowland Illing at LION Oncology, as he might be able to treat the lump in a minimally invasive manner, in order to spare the kidney around the lump.
Mrs AR underwent treatment, and made a smooth recovery. The lump in her kidney was treated, and the surrounding kidney spared. Not only that, but at the time of the treatment a small tissue sample was taken of the lump (a biopsy) which proved the lump to be benign! For this reason Mrs AR was even happier that the procedure had been performed in a minimally invasive fashion. Scans undertaken after the procedure have confirmed that the lump has been completely treated.