Latest news with #TACE
Press and Journal
4 days ago
- Health
- Press and Journal
Stonehaven mum's brutal reality: no NHS cure, so she must buy more time abroad
Helen Swan's voice is quiet yet urgent when she answers the phone at her home in Stonehaven. It doesn't take long to understand why. When we spoke, the 54-year-old mum was just days away from boarding a flight to Frankfurt, where doctors would inject powerful chemotherapy drugs directly into the tumours spreading through her lungs, bones, liver and soft tissues. It's a procedure called TACE — targeted arterial chemoembolisation — and Helen believes it is her only real hope of slowing down her cancer. She knows from experience that as soon as the drugs enter her body, she's in a race against time to get home before the side effects strike: searing nausea, crushing exhaustion and days where she can barely stand. Yet for Helen, the urgency lies not just in the cancer invading her body, but in something else – the knowledge that if she can't keep raising the money to pay for each £6,000 trip herself, her treatment will stop. TACE is not available on the NHS for the rare form of cancer Helen has been diagnosed with. Doctors in the UK have also warned her she is wasting her time with the treatment, saying it won't save her. Helen doesn't see it like that. While she still holds on to the hope that TACE might one day cure her, what she really wants is more time — time she can spend with her children, especially her youngest son, Harry, just 12 years old. 'It's not easy — it's really hard,' she says. 'I've got to do it. I've got no other options. Either I do this, or I can wait for it to take me over, which will happen very quickly — and I don't want to do that. I need to keep trying.' It's a fight she never imagined when she was first diagnosed nearly five years ago. In 2019, Helen was told she had stage 2B endocervical adenocarcinoma — a rare, aggressive form of cervical cancer that had already spread into surrounding tissue. She underwent months of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and internal brachytherapy at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. She was given the all-clear in August 2020. But a year later, a routine scan revealed 16 tiny tumours scattered through her lungs. The cancer had returned and was now classed as incurable. Doctors gave her about six months to live. Offered palliative chemotherapy, Helen made the difficult decision to say no. 'It might have bought me a bit of time,' she says. 'But the side effects would have left me too unwell to do anything with my son. I didn't want to spend what time I had in bed.' Instead, she pieced together her own protocol — researching everything she could about boosting her immune system. She changed her diet, took over-the-counter supplements and began regular mistletoe infusions at Camphill Wellbeing Trust in Aberdeen. Her doctors were sceptical — mistletoe infusions aren't routinely available on the NHS and are classed as complementary. But no one could argue with the result: three extra years of life she was never expected to have. 'I made memories with Harry,' she says of that time. 'I was able to travel with him, swim in the sea at Stonehaven, visit friends in Greece and Sweden — just live a normal life as much as I could.' By the end of last year, Helen's cancer started to spread again — pushing into her bones, liver and soft tissues. She found Professor Thomas Vogl at Frankfurt University Hospital. He specialises in TACE — a procedure only approved on the NHS for patients who have primary liver cancer, not for secondary tumours that have spread from elsewhere. In simple terms, TACE involves feeding a tiny tube through an artery in her leg and injecting a high dose of chemotherapy straight into a tumour. Unlike conventional chemo, which floods the whole body, this targets the tumour directly — cutting off its blood supply and killing cancer cells. 'It's like being poisoned for days,' Helen says. After her first treatment, scans showed a 10% reduction in a tumour pressing on her spine — so severe it had threatened to paralyse her. 'Before I started, I felt like I was hanging on by my fingernails. I was losing the use of my leg and arm. Now, I can walk with a stick. I can drive my car. I can be mum again.' Her most recent scans showed further reductions in both her spine and liver tumours. But every session brings brutal side effects, and the fear that missing just one could undo her progress. A single trip to Frankfurt costs Helen around £5,000 to £6,000, covering the procedure itself, flights, hotel and a companion to help her get home. As a single mum unable to work, she has no savings left. 'It's terrifying to think that if I can't raise this money, I can't go — and I'll start to go downhill again within a few weeks. I don't have time on my side.' So far, generous donations through her GoFundMe page and local fundraising events have covered three trips. She needs many more. How many? 'It's case by case,' she explains. 'Some people go 10 or 12 times if it keeps working.' Through it all, her anchor is her children: Sam, 29, Grace, 22, and especially Harry, still just a boy. 'He was six when I was first diagnosed,' she says. 'He's come along on the ride with me. He knows enough, but not everything. He sees me as strong, and I want to keep it that way for as long as I can.' Helen adds: 'Somebody else asked me that too, and I really, genuinely don't feel angry. I think I'd rather it happened to me than to somebody I love — I'm a strong person. And I hope I'm showing my children, or anyone else, that no matter what life throws at you, you just wade through it and you don't give up.' Helen praises the NHS teams that saved her life in the early days — but says the system is limited by what it can fund. 'Germany is about 10 years ahead of the UK in cancer treatment,' she says. 'It's frustrating that the treatment is there, but we can't access it — you have to go abroad or have the money somehow.' She wants policymakers to listen: 'People shouldn't be written off just because the treatment isn't in the NHS box. Even if they can't fund it, they should support people however they can.' After nearly five years fighting, Helen has learned more than she ever wanted to know about cervical cancer — hers is so rare that it doesn't even show up on standard screening tests. She wants other women to know that even regular screening can sometimes miss it. 'There's no handbook for cancer,' she says. 'You have to advocate for yourself. Learn as much as you can, ask questions, don't take no for an answer. You know your body — listen to it.' Above all, Helen hopes her story shows others they don't have to give up. She tells of one woman who went to Professor Vogl's clinic with just weeks to live — and is now cancer free. It's an outcome Helen would love to see for herself. But she's clearsighted on the obstacles ahead, and how quickly things could change if the money runs out. 'I just want more time — more days to be Harry's mum. I'm not ready to die. I've got far too much to live for.'
Daily Mirror
12-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
'My Center Parcs bowling back pain was actually sinister symptom'
Amy Boe, 47, was diagnosed after feeling aches and pains A mum's "back pain" during a family bowling trip at Center Parcs turned out to be a sinister symptom of advanced breast cancer. Amy Boe, 47, initially experienced discomfort in her left breast and was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in June 2023. She underwent a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, and doctors believed they had successfully treated the disease. However, just a week after completing preventative treatment in February 2024, she experienced back pain during a family bowling outing. Initially thinking she had "pulled something", further tests revealed it was a sign of stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, which had spread to her liver and bones. Doctors informed her that chemotherapy was no longer an option. Amy sought to try a treatment called transarterial chemoembolization (TACE), where chemotherapy drugs are delivered directly to the tumour in her liver via a catheter inserted into the supplying artery. This treatment is only available on the NHS for primary liver cancers, but Amy has secondary liver cancer. Facing a £40,000 bill for private treatment in the UK, she's raising £20,000 for more affordable treatments in Germany. She began this treatment in May and is fundraising for the next round on June 19. UK doctors have deemed her cancer incurable but treatable and Amy remains hopeful that the TACE treatment will lead to remission. Husband Alex, a photographer from Alnwick, Northumberland, said: "She was getting a lot of pain in her back, and we went bowling, and she hurt herself, but that turned out to be the cancer's return. It's devastating for us all. The second diagnosis was a massive shock because we were going into the hospital, expecting to get the all-clear." Amy, a mum-of-three, remains optimistic: "I feel really positive about the treatment and I met a lady last time I went there and she received positive results." The couple has been hit hard by the news that despite chemotherapy and radiotherapy for breast cancer, it has now spread to Amy's bones and liver. Alex explained that "two cells got away" leading to this aggressive spread. They are now facing costly trips to Frankfurt, Germany, for further treatment, with each visit estimated at £5,000. Alex revealed that Amy might need three trips, and they've managed to raise just over £6,000 so far. Alex added: "I've got a big family that has shared it, and we are doing a few fundraisers that Amy's friend has set up to add to the tally. Amy has always stayed really positive, and she is not one for lying around. She always wants to do stuff with the kids. "This treatment has really wiped her out, and she struggled to eat during the chemotherapy. Before the cancer, she worked in a hotel, and she was always the type to get up and go. "Even though she was going through chemotherapy, she was still working through the early stages. She has always put others before herself. We want to ensure she has access to the medical support she needs, along with making memories with her beautiful children."
Daily Record
26-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Scots mum had negative smear tests for years - then discovered she had rare cancer
Helen Swan has her tests come back as normal, but later found out she had cancer which wasn't detected A mum who kept getting negative smear test results was shocked to discover she had a rare form of cervical cancer - one that isn't detected by these tests. Helen Swan, who hails from Aberdeen, experienced weight loss, extreme fatigue and vaginal bleeding from 2017 to 2019. Despite her smear tests coming back negative, the 54-year-old's symptoms continued to worsen. After an examination by her GP revealed tumours in her vagina, she underwent a biopsy in October 2019. In November 2019, Helen was diagnosed with endocervical adenocarcinoma, a type of cervical cancer that starts in the inner lining of the cervix. The cancer was at stage two B, meaning it was "locally advanced". Helen says it had the "potential" to be curable, but scans in November 2021 showed it had spread. Doctors found 16 tumours in Helen's lungs and gave her six months to live. Rejecting the option of palliative chemotherapy on the NHS and choosing to "put it on hold", Helen began exploring alternative treatments. She looked into over-the-counter supplements, dietary changes and mistletoe therapy, which uses extracts from the plant as a complementary cancer treatment. In December 2024, an MRI scan revealed that Helen's cancer had spread further to her scalp, and a full body scan showed it had also reached her spine, jaw, thyroid, liver and bones. Doctors have suggested to Helen that she undergo palliative chemotherapy, but there was "no guarantee it would slow the spread" of her cancer. Searching for alternative treatments, Helen came across a clinic in Germany providing Trans arterial chemoembolisation (TACE) treatment — a procedure the NHS employs for primary liver cancer but which wasn't offered to Helen as her cancer started elsewhere and is also secondary. This targeted TACE therapy involves direct chemotherapy injections into tumours to "kill them" and each session costs £4k. After two successful sessions, Helen has been raising funds to travel back for a third treatment, having been "pleased" with the outcome thus far. Helen, a mum-of-three, previously a primary school teacher and artist, commented: "I was concerned I might have cervical cancer because I was bleeding so much. "I have never had a positive smear test. The cancer I have was not picked up on the smears because it tests for cancerous cells on the outside of the cervix. "My cancer originated on the inside of my cervix. If I was having a smear test and it had grown down to the outside of the cervix it would have picked it up. "It was finally identified after I approached the GP feeling like I was dying due to the excessive bleeding. They carried out an examination and attempted a biopsy too, but struggled due to the extreme amount of bleeding. "The tumours were so vascular if they had cut into them, I would have bled a lot. The whole thing was really hard and traumatic. "I could see the look on their faces. After the scan revealed the tumours in my lungs, I was given six months to live. "I thought that was just not good enough. My sole purpose of doing this [alternative treatment] is my little boy needs me. "My oncologist said he thought my first treatment had given me a reduction in my tumours – I don't know if it's my overall tumours or the tumours he'd specifically treated, but he saw a 10 per cent reduction". In February 2025, Helen launched her GoFundMe page and has since raised over £16k towards affording TACE treatment at Frankfurt University Hospital, Germany. TACE is a procedure that involves injecting chemotherapy into the blood vessel that feeds the cancer, followed by a substance like a gel, or tiny beads to block the blood supply. This treatment is currently only offered to NHS patients with primary liver cancer. Helen has already travelled to Frankfurt twice in March and April for the treatment and says her German doctor is "pleased" with the results so far. She shared: "It's the biggest hospital in Frankfurt, and I have to do my own flights and hotel. Last week I came back from my second visit. "So far he's really pleased with the results, and it's started to work on my tumours. I've got three little tumours on my scalp, and I can already see they've gone down. "I'm set to go again in May, but I'm only going to be able to afford another time once more. It's really hard on me, but I don't want to stop doing this if it's got the potential to save my life. "TACE is only at the stage where they use it on liver cancer in the UK. Going here [to Frankfurt] and having this treatment us unbelievable. "I'm hoping a few months I'll feel better. I don't know how much is possible for me, but I'm hoping I have the potential to get clear. "It's really important to raise the funds to keep going." Helen urges all women to "advocate" for themselves. She said: "Have your smear tests. Not all cervical cancer is the same, and if there is a test available, have them. "Regardless of the smear test, you should have them and if you have any concerns research, look it up online, and go and get help. The smear test is different now to what I had. "The smear I was having were looking for cells on the outside of the cervix, but the smear test now is looking for HPV. "If the test comes back negative still go and get checked and ask the questions. I think you know your own body better than anyone else. If I'd have waited and not persevered and pushed, goodness knows what would have happened". The NHS offers advice on their website for people thinking about having treatment abroad. They write: "If you're thinking about having medical treatment in another country, it's important to understand how it works and the risks involved. "If you do not follow the correct procedures, you may have to pay the full costs of your treatment. You should discuss your plans with a GP before making any final decisions about travel or medical arrangements. "Your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) does not cover going abroad for planned medical treatments. "An EHIC or GHIC is for 'necessary healthcare' from state services when you're visiting the EU and Switzerland. "Necessary healthcare means healthcare that becomes medically necessary during your stay, and you cannot reasonably wait until you're back in the UK to get it. You should also ensure you have adequate travel insurance."
Daily Record
25-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
'My tests all came back negative - then doctors found 16 tumours inside me'
Helen says she is determined to hold on to life so the sake of her little boy A mum had negative smear tests her whole life before discovering she had a rare cervical cancer that's not picked up on them. Helen Swan, 54, suffered from weight loss, extreme fatigue and vaginal bleeding from 2017 to 2019. Despite checks like smear tests coming back negative, Helen's symptoms got "worse and worse". Helen underwent an examination with her GP - which revealed tumours in her vagina - and she had a biopsy in October 2019. In November 2019, she was finally diagnosed with endocervical adenocarcinoma - a type of cervical cancer that originates in the inner lining of the cervix. The cancer was stage two B, meaning it was "locally advanced" and Helen says it had the "potential" of being curative, but scans in November 2021 revealed it had spread. Doctors discovered 16 tumours in Helen's lungs and she was given six months to live. Refusing the option of palliative chemotherapy on the NHS and chose to 'put it on hold', Helen instead looking into alternative treatments. She explored over-the-counter supplements, diet changes and mistletoe therapy - using extracts from the plant as a complementary cancer treatment. In December 2024, Helen was told her cancer had spread further to her scalp after an MRI scan, with a further full body scan revealing it had spread to her spine, jaw, thyroid, liver and bones. Doctors advised Helen to undergo palliative chemotherapy, but there was 'no guarantee it would slow the spread' of her cancer. She explored alternative options and found a clinic in Germany that offers Trans arterial chemoembolisation (TACE) treatment - which is currently used by the NHS to treat primary liver cancer but was not offered to Helen whose cancer originated elsewhere and is also secondary. The TACE treatment involves injecting chemotherapy directly into tumours to "kill them" and costs £4k per session. Helen has undergone two sessions and is now raising money to fly out there for the third time after being "pleased" with the results. Mum-of-three Helen, a former primary school teacher and artist, from Aberdeen, Scotland, said: "I was concerned I might have cervical cancer because I was bleeding so much. "I have never had a positive smear test. The cancer I have was not picked up on the smears because it tests for cancerous cells on the outside of the cervix. My cancer originated on the inside of my cervix. 'If I was having a smear test and it had grown down to the outside of the cervix it would have picked it up. I was eventually diagnosed after I had gone to the GP and said I felt like I was dying because I was bleeding so much. 'They examined me and gave me a biopsy as well of what they could, but they said they struggled taking it because I was bleeding so much. The tumours were so vascular if they had cut into them, I would have bled a lot. 'The whole thing was really hard and traumatic. I could see the look on their faces. After the scan revealed the tumours in my lungs, I was given six months to live. I thought that was just not good enough. "My sole purpose of doing this (alternative treatment) is my little boy needs me. My oncologist said he thought my first treatment had given me a reduction in my tumours – I don't know if it's my overall tumours or the tumours he'd specifically treated, but he saw a 10 per cent reduction'. Helen set up her GoFundMe page in February 2025 and has raised over £16k towards affording TACE treatment at Frankfurt University Hospital, Germany. TACE is a procedure that involves having chemotherapy into the blood vessel that feeds the cancer, and then a substance like a gel, or tiny beads are injected to block the blood supply. The treatment is currently only offered to patients on the NHS that have primary liver cancer. Helen has flown out to Frankfurt twice already in March and April for the treatment and says her German doctor is "pleased" with the results so far. She said: "It's the biggest hospital in Frankfurt, and I have to do my own flights and hotel. Last week I came back from my second visit. "So far he's really pleased with the results, and it's started to work on my tumours. I've got three little tumours on my scalp, and I can already see they've gone down. "I'm set to go again in May, but I'm only going to be able to afford another time once more. It's really hard on me, but I don't want to stop doing this if it's got the potential to save my life. TACE is only at the stage where they use it on liver cancer in the UK. "Going to Frankfurt and having this treatment us unbelievable. I'm hoping that, in a few months, I'll feel better. I don't know how much is possible for me, but I'm hoping I have the potential to get clear. It's really important to raise the funds to keep going." Helen urges all women to "advocate" for themselves. She said: "Have your smear tests. Not all cervical cancer is the same, and if there is a test available, have them. 'Regardless of the smear test, you should have them and if you have any concerns research, look it up online, and go and get help. The smear test is different now to what I had. 'The smear I was having were looking for cells on the outside of the cervix, but the smear test now is looking for HPV. If the test comes back negative still go and get checked and ask the questions. 'I think you know your own body better than anyone else. If I'd have waited and not persevered and pushed, goodness knows what would have happened'. The NHS offers advice on their website for people thinking about having treatment abroad: "If you're thinking about having medical treatment in another country, it's important to understand how it works and the risks involved. 'If you do not follow the correct procedures, you may have to pay the full costs of your treatment. You should discuss your plans with a GP before making any final decisions about travel or medical arrangements. 'Your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) or UK Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) does not cover going abroad for planned medical treatments. An EHIC or GHIC is for "necessary healthcare" from state services when you're visiting the EU and Switzerland. "Necessary healthcare means healthcare that becomes medically necessary during your stay, and you cannot reasonably wait until you're back in the UK to get it. You should also ensure you have adequate travel insurance'.
Scottish Sun
19-05-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Gran, 55, whose 2st weight gain was blamed on fibroids ‘devastated' as she's given months to live
A GRAN who was initially told she had fibroids was diagnosed with terminal cancer - and weight gain was one of the first signs. Julie Butler, 55, was diagnosed with fibroids - non-cancerous growth - after gaining two stone and experiencing pain in her abdomen. 6 Julie Butler was diagnosed with fibroids and told she would need a hysterectomy Credit: SWNS 6 But due to Covid delays, the gran had to wait two years for the surgery Credit: SWNS The mum-of-two was told she needed a hysterectomy but didn't have the surgery for another two years due to Covid delays and struggled with bloating and walking. But in September 2022, she was admitted to the hospital with a bowel blockage - where they removed her lower bowel and two unexpected tumours. The tumours were sent off for a biopsy, and Julie was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer. A year later Julie was diagnosed with stage four cancer and was told it has spread to her lung, liver and spleen. Despite chemotherapy the cancer is still growing and her husband Robert Butler, 54, is now looking to fundraise £40k for a life saving treatment called Trans arterial chemoembolization (TACE). The treatment delivers chemotherapy directly into the blood vessels feeding a tumour, and then blocks the blood supply to the tumour. TACE is available on the NHS for the treatment of primary liver cancer, but Julie's liver cancer is secondary, meaning she is not eligible for the treatment. Julie, a catering assistant, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, said: "When I was diagnosed with stage four cancer, I was devastated. "I have a granddaughter, and I was thinking about how I wanted to see her grow up. "The day I got told I was stage four, I was worried I would never see her in her first school uniform. I put my bloating down to eating too many carbs - then I was diagnosed with cancer "I was worried that I would not be able to see her grow up. "We are at the point where the chemotherapy is not working for me, and we need to try something new." In 2020, Julie noticed she had gained two stone, which was unusual for her, and was also experiencing pain in her abdomen. She went to her GP, who carried out an ultrasound and hysteroscopy . Julie was diagnosed with fibroids in March 2020 and told she would need a hysterectomy. Due to Covid delays, Julie didn't have her hysterectomy until July 2022. I was bloated all the time, it looked like I was nine months pregnant Julie Butler Julie said: "In those two years, I could barely walk, but doctors couldn't put a finger on it. "I was bloated all the time, it looked like I was nine months pregnant." After the hysterectomy, Julie was still experiencing extreme bloating. During a meeting to see how Julie was doing since the hysterectomy, a scan revealed that she had a blockage in her bowel and she was sent for an operation. Julie said: "During the operation, they removed my lower bowel, and found that I had two tumours that were causing the problem. "They said the tumours had gone into my lymph nodes, so they removed them too. "They told me it was cancer but sent the tumours off for a biopsy to double check." 'Three months to live' The biopsy confirmed that Julie had bowel cancer, and doctors told them they were 95 per cent sure they had removed all the cancer, but couldn't be certain. Doctors advised that Julie should start chemotherapy, but after two major operations, she was too ill. A year later, Julie started to feel ill again, so she went for an MRI, CT and PET scan in April 2023. The scans showed that the cancer had spread to her lung, liver and spleen and given a stage four diagnosis. On the same day, Julie was told she had three months to live, but she has surpassed that prognosis. Julie said: "Being told you have three months to live is devastating. Being told you have three months to live is devastating. It was a horrible thing to experience, I can't explain it Julie Butler "It was a horrible thing to experience, I can't explain it." Julie then started on chemotherapy in July 2024 and finished in April 2025. Despite being given three different types of chemotherapy, Julie's cancer is continuing to grow. Her husband, Robert, a hedge cutter, said: "The chemo has been very aggressive, but the doctors have told us it is not ready. "The NHS wants to try a fourth chemo, but it is a catch-22 situation. "Her liver is in serious trouble. If we carry on with the chemo and it doesn't work, she will end up with liver failure." 6 In September 2022, Julie was admitted to the hospital with a bowel blockage - where they removed her lower bowel and two unexpected tumours Credit: SWNS 6 The tumours were sent off for a biopsy, and Julie was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer Credit: SWNS 6 Julie was told she had three months to live, but she has surpassed that prognosis Credit: SWNS 6 Her family are now looking to fundraise for life-saving treatment for her Credit: SWNS The couple are hoping to fly out to Germany for TACE but need to raise £40k to do so. Robert said: "We have no choice now, we need to try it. "If we don't try this, Julie is going to die, we have to do it. "We are waiting for some blood test results to come back before we fly over there, we are hoping to head over there soon. "My faith in the world has been restored. We have been in such a dark place for so long. "The fact that people have been donating to help Julie shows that angels exist and there are good people out there." To donate to the funding page, click here.
