A man from Stourbridge has become the first person to successfully receive a donated liver as part of a revolutionary new liver transplant.

The transplant, which took place at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (QEHB), alongside two others of its kind at King’s College London and The Royal Free Hospital London, is pioneering life-saving treatment for patients suffering from neuroendocrine tumours (NET).

This group of cancers often doesn’t come to light until it spreads to the liver, with complete removal being the sole chance of a cure.

 

 

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One of the challenges faced by the programme is the short supply of donated livers, which has unfortunately seen a decrease in availability over the last two years.

In light of this, the major thrust of the operation is geared towards patients whose original cancer, generally found in the bowel or pancreas, can be removed, before then considering replacing the liver if no other cancer remains.

Dr Tahir Shah, liver transplant physician at QEHB, said: "The pilot aims to address a critical gap in treatment options for patients with this rare cancer that has spread to the liver.

"This is the culmination of four years of planning that involved the UK and Europe’s top experts leading to the development of international guidance, protocols and infrastructure for delivering the large pilot programme."

The aim of the initiative is to increase the number of yearly liver transplants to approximately 100 countrywide.

However, a rise in the number of organ donors is vital for this expansion.

Neil Morris, 50, who underwent the transplant, said: "I was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in September 2019, after having tests for the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease.

"I was advised that the primary tumour had been found in my bowel and sadly the cancer had already spread to my liver.

“I have recovered well and my future is positive."