A 32-year-old woman is cancer-free after undergoing the UK’s first liver transplant for advanced bowel cancer.
Bianca Perea, a trainee lawyer from Manchester, was diagnosed with the most advanced kind of bowel cancer in November 2021, with doctors telling her they aimed to prolong her life rather than find a cure.
But, alongside other treatments including targeted drug therapy, chemotherapy and surgery, the transplant has been a huge success and Ms Perea now has no signs of cancer anywhere in her body.
Ms Perea first visited her GP in Wigan after feeling constipated and bloated. After tests, a colonoscopy and a biopsy, she was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer, which had spread to all eight segments of her liver.
Ms Perea accepted the diagnosis, but said she refused to believe the outlook was so bleak.
“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 said.
Her mother asked about a possible transplant at that stage but was told it was not a feasible treatment.
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Ms Perea had 37 rounds of a targeted drug called panitumumab plus chemotherapy for two and a half years.
She had an excellent response to the treatment, which meant she was able to have an operation in May 2023 to remove the bowel tumour.
But scans showed she still had tumours in her liver, which could not be operated on.
Nevertheless, because her response to chemotherapy had been so good and her bowel cancer was seemingly gone, doctors began to look at liver transplants.
Ms Perea was added to the transplant list in February 2024 and was lucky enough to find a donor last summer.
She said: “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.
“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.
“I do believe this is a cure. They’re always hesitant to say that, obviously, but I am cancer-free right now.”
Now, Ms Perea is looking forward to going on holiday this year and is working on improving her fitness.
“My liver is doing really well,” she said. “I get tests on that, and I’ve just had my second scan and that’s all clear, so it’s really good.”
Dr Kalena Marti, Ms Perea’s oncologist, said: “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.
“This is excellent news, and we hope that this means that the cancer won’t come back.”
She added: “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.”
You can watch a full interview with Ms Perea at 8.30am this morning on Sky News Breakfast.
The Royal Liverpool University Hospital has declared a critical incident due to “exceptionally high” demand on A&E and patients being admitted to wards.
The hospital said there had been a spike in people with flu and respiratory illnesses going to emergency departments in recent weeks.
A spokesperson for the hospital said it had a “comprehensive plan in place” and was “taking all the necessary actions to manage the challenging circumstances”.
“We are working with partner organisations to ensure those that are medically fit can leave hospital safely and at the earliest opportunity,” they added.
The hospital warned some people would experience delays as it prioritises the sickest patients.
People whose case isn’t an emergency are being asked to see their GP, pharmacy or walk-in centre – or call the 111 service for advice.
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The Royal Liverpool University Hospital is in the city centre and is the biggest hospital in Merseyside and Cheshire.
Declaring a critical incident can happen when a hospital is experiencing exceptional demand, or sometimes if there is a serious problem with staffing levels.
It indicates it can’t function as normal and allows it to take extra measures to protect patients, such as prioritising the most unwell people and getting support from other agencies.
It could last hours, a few days, or weeks if necessary.
A critical incident was also declared on Friday by the NHS Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Integrated Care Board.
It said it had seen almost four times as many inpatients compared with last year and urged people with flu to avoid going to A&E.
Zendaya and Tom Holland are rumoured to be engaged after the 28-year-old actress appeared at the Golden Globes wearing a massive diamond ring on her left ring finger.
They met after working together on 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and confirmed their relationship in 2021.
Sky News has contacted representatives for Zendaya and Holland for comment.
Zendaya chatted to journalists on the Globes red carpet, where she was nominated for best actress in a musical or comedy for her role in the romantic sports drama Challengers.
Despite being pipped to the prize by Demi Moore, who won for her role in body horror The Substance, there was plenty of buzz around Zendaya’s large diamond ring, which was clearly visible throughout the show.
A Los Angeles Times reporter appeared to ask Zendaya about it, holding up her own engagement ring and pointing to it. Zendaya responded by showing her left-hand ring.
The reporter then asked if the actor was engaged and “she kept showing her ring, smiled coyly and shrugged her shoulders mysteriously”.
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Holland, who is also 28, wasn’t at Sunday’s Globes.
Zendaya wore an orange Louis Vuitton ball gown, and diamond jewellery from Bulgari – for which she’s an ambassador – on the Globes red carpet.
But while the Dune star’s other jewellery items were listed in a press release, there was no mention of the ring on her left finger.
Zendaya, who rose to fame after her breakout role in Disney sitcom Shake It Up, became a household star after starring in Euphoria.
Tom Holland, who is the son of British actor/comedian Dominic Holland, won a role in Billy Elliot The Musical as a child, and has gone on to achieve global fame playing Spider-Man in six Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.