Bowel cancer warning signs as Manchester woman beats disease with first ever transplant

The UK’s first liver transplant for advanced bowel cancer has been hailed a success.

Bianca Perea, a 32-year-old trainee lawyer from Manchester, has been declared cancer-free after undergoing the procedure alongside other treatments such as targeted drug therapy and chemotherapy.

Following a series of tests, including blood tests, a stool sample, colonoscopy and a biopsy, Bianca received the devastating diagnosis of stage four bowel cancer in November 2021.

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Bianca Perea is cancer-free and says it’s the ‘greatest gift’ -Credit:SWNS

Sadly, the disease had spread extensively throughout her liver. “I actually didn’t have really bad symptoms at all,” Bianca recalled.

She experienced only minor changes in her bowel habits, some bloating, and slight stomach pain – nothing that prevented her from wearing her clothes comfortably, but enough to cause concern.

However, after seeing a cancer advert on TV, she said it would “jump out of the TV at me.”

Bianca underwent successful surgery, combined with targeted drug therapy, chemotherapy, and additional surgical intervention, which has left her with no detectable trace of cancer. During her colonoscopy, Ms Perea encountered an unexpected challenge.

“I remember the doctor at the time – there was a blockage in my bowel and he couldn’t get the camera past,” she recounted. The doctor’s initial reaction was one of caution and concern.

Bowel cancer is on the rise among people under 50

“He said to me, ‘I’ve taken some biopsies. If you were 60 and above, I would say that is most definitely cancer, but because you’re so young, I just can’t see how that could be that in you’. He said, ‘In the meantime, I don’t want to delay getting you a CT scan on the rest of your bowel and also your thorax and abdomen to see if it has spread’.”

This understandably led to significant worry for Ms Perea. “At that point, I felt a real, like, ‘Wow, is this something serious?'”. The subsequent developments only heightened her distress. Following the biopsy procedures, Ms Perea received a call for a further consultation, where the grave news was broken.

Despite acknowledging the diagnosis, Ms Perea was not ready to concede to the grim predictions. “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 expressed.

In an urgent response, a stoma was fitted to aid her condition, and questions about further treatment options surfaced. After a challenging journey, Ms Perea was referred to the Christie NHS Foundation Trust’s local centre in Wigan back in December 2021. She underwent 37 rounds of a targeted therapy called panitumumab along with chemotherapy for more than two years.

This treatment was remarkably successful, enabling her surgery to remove a bowel tumour in May 2023. However, subsequent scans uncovered liver tumours that were deemed inoperable.

Her impressive response to chemotherapy and eradication of the bowel cancer meant doctors began to consider a liver transplant. In February 2024, she was placed on the transplant list and quickly found a matching donor, leading to a successful operation at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust last summer.

Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death -Credit:PA Media

Speaking about her recovery, she expressed: “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.”

Ms Perea, celebrating her second chance at life, said: “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.”

With optimism about her future, she declared: “I do believe this is a cure. They’re always hesitant to say that, obviously, but I am cancer-free right now.”

Dr. Kalena Marti, the oncologist overseeing Ms Perea’s care at the Christie, spoke about her patient’s recovery, saying: “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.”

She added, “This is excellent news, and we hope that this means that the cancer won’t come back. Advanced bowel cancer is complex and there are lots of different types of the disease, so what works for one person might not work for another. As a result, it’s important that we continue to develop new treatments. Thanks to the generosity of organ donors and their loved ones, we can now access liver transplants for some patients, which is fantastic.”

What is bowel cancer?

“Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, affects the large bowel, which is made up of the colon and rectum,” explains Dr Lisa Wilde, director of research, policy, and influencing at Bowel Cancer UK. “Most bowel cancers develop from pre-cancerous growths, called polyps. But not all polyps develop into cancer.

“If your doctor finds any polyps, they can remove them to prevent them becoming cancerous.”

Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK after lung cancer, with around 16,800 deaths per year

Here are some symptoms to look out for…

Bowel changes

A change in your pooing habits could be an early warning sign.

“You might be going more or less often, or have diarrhoea or constipation that might come and go,” says Wilde.

Blood

“One of the most recognisable symptoms to look out for is blood in your poo or bleeding from your bottom,” highlights Lindsay Easton, CEO of Bowel Research UK. “This can be a sign of a less serious condition, but it’s best to get this checked out with your GP as soon as you can.”

Pain or lump in your stomach

“A pain or lump in your tummy is a symptom of bowel cancer,” says Wilde.

Weight loss

Losing weight when you are not trying is also common in people with cancer.

“This may because of reduced appetite, but not always, some people lose weight even when they are eating normally,” explains Dr Angela Rai, GP at The London General Practice. “This is called cachexia, and the body may not be absorbing all the protein, fat and carbohydrate from the food you eat.

“Cancer may release chemicals in the body that contribute to the loss of fat and muscle.”

Unexplained tiredness

Feeling constantly tired and not knowing why is also a symptom.

“There are many causes of fatigue and this should be investigated,” says Rai. “Bowel cancer can cause anaemia, and the lack of healthy red cells causes fatigue.

“A simple blood test can detect this. Anaemia can be an early warning sign of bowel cancer and occurs when the tumour starts to bleed causing a reduction of red blood cells and a reduction in a protein called haemoglobin, which carries iron.”

When should you see a GP about these symptoms?

“Not everyone will have all the symptoms of bowel cancer and sometimes symptoms may come and go,” says Wilde. “If you have any of the above symptoms, or if your pooing habits just don’t feel normal for you, our advice is to contact your GP straight away.

“They will want to hear from you and may give you an at-home test to help decide whether your symptoms need further investigation.”

When should you ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from the NHS 111 or go to A&E?

“The NHS advises people to call 111 if your poo is black or dark red or you have bloody diarrhoea, and to go to A&E or call 999 if you’re bleeding non-stop from your bottom and there’s a lot of blood,” says Easton.

Can you get an at home test? How does this work?

“If your GP wants to rule out bowel cancer, they may ask you to do a Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT), which is a test you do at home that that looks for blood in your poo,” explains Easton. “These are the same tests sent out to people as part of the bowel cancer screening programme, and we would encourage anyone eligible for screening to take part when they are invited because early diagnosis is so important.”