Liver transplant cures woman’s bowel cancer in UK first
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A young woman is cancer-free after undergoing the UK’s first ever liver transplant for advanced bowel cancer. Bianca Perea, a 32-year-old trainee lawyer from Manchester, was told by doctors her stage four bowel cancer was terminal before the miracle operation last summer cured her of the deadly disease.
![[EMBARGOED TO 0001 MONDAY JANUARY 6 Undated handout photo issued by The Christie NHS Foundation Trust of Bianca Perea who is cancer-free after undergoing the UK's first liver transplant for advanced bowel cancer. Bianca, a 32-year-old trainee lawyer from Manchester, was given the surgery in the hope it could offer a potential cure for her deadly disease. Issue date: Monday January 6, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story HEALTH Bowel. Photo credit should read: Phil Tragen/The Christie NHS Foundation Trust/PA Wire]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235010230-c7d2.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Cancer specialists placed their hopes in the groundbreaking surgery after targeted drug therapy, chemotherapy and surgery all removed the cancer from elsewhere in Bianca’s body, but not in her liver. The treatment, once considered unfeasible, became possible when a donor was found in February 2024 and means she is now cancer-free.
Bianca said: ‘To go from being told I’d only have a short time to live to now being cancer-free is the greatest gift. ‘I’ve been given a second chance at life and I’m going to grab it with both hands. I am so grateful to the family who agreed to donate their loved one’s liver.’.
![[EMBARGOED TO 0001 MONDAY JANUARY 6 Undated handout photo issued by The Christie NHS Foundation Trust of Bianca Perea who is cancer-free after undergoing the UK's first liver transplant for advanced bowel cancer. Bianca, a 32-year-old trainee lawyer from Manchester, was given the surgery in the hope it could offer a potential cure for her deadly disease. Issue date: Monday January 6, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story HEALTH Bowel. Photo credit should read: Phil Tragen/The Christie NHS Foundation Trust/PA Wire]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/SEI_235010180-3ecd.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
‘I do believe this is a cure. They’re always hesitant to say that, obviously, but I am cancer-free right now.’. Bianca was only 29 when she received the shocking news she had stage four bowel cancer – the most advanced kind. She went to the GP complaining of constipation and bloating, but her symptoms were not severe enough for her to suspect cancer.
