A man who was told he was dying from inoperable cancer will make history by undergoing multi-organ transplant surgery for the second time in a bid to beat the disease.
Adam Alderson, 43, first entered medical textbooks in 2015, when surgeons removed a huge tumor and transplanted six organs from a single donor to save his life, after other doctors told him that nothing else could be done.
He begged surgeons to try the pioneering operation, which involved removing his stomach, small and large intestines, pancreas, spleen, gallbladder, appendix, most of his liver and abdominal wall.
Mr Alderson’s surgery was one of the few such operations to be carried out in the UK. At the time, there were no known living survivors of the procedure.
Adam Alderson, 43, first entered medical textbooks in 2015, when surgeons removed a huge tumor and transplanted six organs from a single donor to save his life, after other doctors told him that nothing else could be done. In the photo: Adam Alderson with his wife Laura.
He begged surgeons to try the pioneering operation, which involved removing his stomach, small and large intestines, pancreas, spleen, gallbladder, appendix, most of his liver and abdominal wall.
Mr Alderson’s surgery was one of the few such operations to be carried out in the UK. At the time, there were no known living survivors of the procedure.
Now he is set to make history again as he prepares for another multiple transplant to replace seven of his organs after doctors discovered his extremely rare cancer had returned.
Mr Alderson, who lives with his wife Laura in Preston-under-Scar, North Yorkshire, said: ‘It’s never been done before in the UK where someone has had two transplants like this for this condition. It’s amazing.’
Surgeon Brendan Moran, part of a team of 30 who carried out his first operation, said: “This is a very rare cancer and is usually not diagnosed until it is advanced, making it difficult to treat.”
‘We have seen around 18 cases so far in the UK and Adam is the oldest surviving patient.
‘We have never before performed two transplants of this type in the same patient. Adam is incredibly tough, he’s young and fit, but it’s a very tough operation.
Alderson had been misdiagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome before discovering he had pseudomyxoma peritonei, a rare cancer that usually begins with a small growth, or polyp, in the appendix.
By the time such growths are detected and diagnosed, the disease is usually very advanced.
When specialists attempted to remove Mr Alderson’s tumour, they discovered the cancer had spread too far.
Now he is set to make history again as he prepares for another multiple transplant to replace seven of his organs after doctors discovered his extremely rare cancer had returned. In the photo: Previously in the hospital.
Alderson had been misdiagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome before discovering he had pseudomyxoma peritonei, a rare cancer that usually begins with a small growth, or polyp, in the appendix.
“They said they were sorry, but there was nothing they could do,” he said. “They disconnected my bowel, gave me a bag and a feeding tube, and sent me home with palliative care, with two years to live at most.”
After chemotherapy, Mr Alderson refused to give up, even when told he was nearing the end.
He pleaded with Mr Moran, who agreed to treat him. As soon as a donor was found,
Alderson underwent 18 hours of surgery at Oxford’s Churchill Hospital. His recovery was so good that he and Laura set about raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.
But last month a scan showed the cancer had returned and doctors suggested another multiple transplant, replacing the same six organs plus her liver.
“They will study the possibility of performing the transplant in the next 12 to 18 months,” he said. ‘It’s a very slow-growing cancer, so it will definitely buy me more time. I feel very lucky to still be here; I have to thank Mr. Moran and the team for that.”
