Following some investigations at her local hospital, the lesion on Julia’s liver was diagnosed as metastatic liver cancer, likely related to her primary colon cancer. Her case was discussed in the regional multidisciplinary team meeting, who recommended Julia have surgery to remove the lesion, but there was going to be a 13-week wait for the operation. Julia was really concerned about how the cancer might progress in that time. 

“We were heartbroken. My parents said, ‘you’ve been through enough, you’re not old enough to go through anymore’,” Julia recalls. “And then being told it could be over three months until I had the operation. That felt like an eternity, I couldn’t shake the fear of what might happen to the cancer in that time. That’s when my mom stepped in and said firmly, ‘no, we’re not waiting’. In that moment, I knew we had to do something. Through it all, my parents have been my rock. Their support means everything to me”.

Choosing to move quickly 

Determined to take control, with the support of her family, Julia explored other options and chose to have her surgery with Mr Nikolaos Chatzizacharias, Consultant HPB Surgeon at The Harborne Hospital. After transferring her care, Julia was in surgery just three weeks later.  

“For Julia acting quickly was critically important,” explains Mr Chatzizacharias. “The MRI scan showed that the tumour was very close to key liver structures. If it had grown further, it could have penetrated or encircled these structures, requiring a much more complex, riskier procedure. In the worst case, her cancer may have become inoperable.” 

Making an informed decision 

Mr Chatzizacharias discussed Julia’s case in detail with his colleagues at a multidisciplinary team meeting at The Harborne Hospital, before agreeing on a recommended treatment plan. 

“We always discuss multiple treatment options,” says Mr Chatzizacharias. “In Julia’s case, given her young age, good medical status and overall health, we believed that in the long-term, liver resection surgery was going to be the best option for her. We discussed this with Julia, along with the other treatment options, and she chose to go down the surgical route.”

Looking back, Julia knows she made the right decision.

“Mr Chatzizacharias talked about three treatment options with me, but I really wanted the surgery. I like to be well-informed - I’m somebody that needs to know, so I had already researched my potential options and was clear that I wanted the operation”, Julia says. 

A specialist approach 

With the expertise of The Harborne Hospital’s surgical team and state-of-the-art care, Julia’s procedure went smoothly, and she recovered well without complications. 

“This was a highly specialised operation that isn’t widely available”, says Mr Chatzizacharias. “It’s vital that post-operatively we can provide the highest level of support in our ITU. Julia did exceptionally well after surgery, but had she needed more extensive intensive care support, which isn’t unusual for this level of complexity, that’s something that is available here.” 

“From an anaesthetic perspective, the key considerations were pre-operative risk assessment and preparing for potential blood loss”, adds Dr Mohammed Arshad, the consultant anaesthetist involved in Julia’s care. “The liver is a highly vascular organ, which means surgery can lead to heavy bleeding, so we put additional safety measures in place, such as rapid blood transfusion access.” Dr Arshad has extensive experience in complex, high risk cases like Julia’s, so she was assured she had the right team behind her. 

Pain management was another critical aspect of Julia’s post-operative care. Dr Arshad discussed this with Julia in detail prior to her surgery, ensuring she had all the information she needed to make an informed choice.

“At The Harborne Hospital we do an anaesthetic pre-assessment with each person, where we discuss the different pain management options, going over the pros and cons of each method,” he explains. “We then tailor the plan to each person to aid their recovery and ensure they’re comfortable.”

Positive outcomes

Julia’s operation was a success, the cancer was completely removed and both Julia and her liver made a full recovery. To reduce the risk of recurrence, Julia will now undergo a course of chemotherapy. 

“I was so nervous waiting for my results”, recalls Julia, “so hearing the good news that the tumour was completely removed was an incredible relief. There could be some tiny cells that don’t show up on a scan, so just in case, it’s been recommended that I have a course of chemotherapy to wipe these out. Taking action on my treatment plan was the best decision I could have made and the care and support I’ve received from Mr Chatzizacharias, and the whole team at The Harborne Hospital has been incredible.”

Find out more about cancer treatment and care at HCA Healthcare UK