Eight years on from his liver cancer diagnosis, Martyn Griffiths is cancer free
A worrying diagnosis
U.K.-based Martyn Griffiths was diagnosed with liver cancer (hepatic cellular carcinoma) in 2014. He first went to his doctor after suffering with a constant cough which did not go away. Following scans, it was confirmed he had an aggressive tumour which was the size of a grapefruit on his liver. “When I was given the news, it literally floored me, I was completely numb.” said Griffiths. “At the time they said a maximum of five years and I would fade away.” He was particularly worried about telling his children the devastating news.
With surgery not possible, a minimally invasive approach to treatment was considered
As Griffiths’ liver cancer was so advanced, no surgical treatment was feasible when he was diagnosed and instead he was only eligible for palliative care. However, his multidisciplinary team at the Freeman Hospital in the U.K. reviewed his case and decided he was a suitable candidate for treatment with TheraSphere Y90 Glass Microspheres, an innovative, targeted radioembolisation therapy made of glass microspheres containing radioactive Yttrium-90 (Y-90), with the hope they might be able to help Griffiths achieve an extension to life,
How TheraSphere and radioembolisation works
The radioactive microspheres in TheraSphere are injected into an artery that supplies the liver. These microspheres lodge in the liver’s capillaries in and around the tumour and deliver radiation that kills the cancer cells. The intention of the treatment was to reduce the tumour size enough to hopefully be able to perform surgery to remove it. Read more about how TheraSphere works in this recently published article: The power of personalised medicine to target liver cancer (bostonscientific.eu). Following two treatments with the minimally invasive therapy, Griffiths was able to have surgery to remove his remaining tumour.
Living cancer free and looking forward to the future
Griffiths was back to work quickly after his treatment and feels extremely lucky to be living cancer free again. He said: “Thanks to the treatment, the surgery and the skills of my consultants, I am looking forward to a long life.”
The burden of liver cancer
October is Liver Cancer Awareness Month. Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and there were more than 866,000 new cases of liver cancer diagnosed globally in 2022.1
You can find out more about Griffiths’ diagnosis and treatment with TheraSphere by watching this video:
References:
1 Liver cancer statistics | World Cancer Research Fund International (wcrf.org). Last accessed October 2024.