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02
Jun
Harrogate woman, 92, first to receive pioneering new cancer treatment
A 92-year-old woman from Harrogate has become the first patient in the UK to receive pioneering treatment for liver cancer after being told her tumour was inoperable.
Brenda Iveson was told that surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy were not suitable due to the size and location of her tumour, as well as her frailty.
But Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust offered a new, minimally invasive procedure that has already reduced her tumour by around 80%.
Ms Iveson said:
I had been told there was nothing that could be done. So, to be offered this treatment gave me real hope. I’m so glad I went ahead — it wasn’t painful or debilitating, and I feel very well.
Follow-up scans show Ms Iveson’s remaining tumour is currently stable. Further treatment options may be considered if needed.
New service
This UK-first procedure marks the beginning of a new service at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, with the potential to offer life-changing treatment to more patients in the future — especially those who previously had no viable options.
The treatment, known as electrochemotherapy, combines a small dose of chemotherapy with targeted electrical pulses to allow the drug to enter cancer cells more effectively.
Clinicians used robotic needle guidance to precisely place needles around the tumour. This advanced technology helps improve accuracy, particularly for tumours in complex or hard-to-reach areas.
The treatment was carried out under general anaesthetic and is non-thermal, meaning it can safely treat tumours located close to vital structures such as blood vessels and bile ducts—areas that are often too risky for conventional treatments.
Ms Iveson’s tumour was located in a particularly complex part of the liver, making traditional approaches too dangerous.
'New possibilities'
The procedure was led by Professor Tze Min Wah, research and innovation lead for the interventional oncology programme at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and professor of interventional radiology at the University of Leeds.
Professor Wah said:
This treatment allowed us to offer an option where there would otherwise have been none. The addition of robotic guidance improves precision and opens up new possibilities, particularly for patients with tumours in difficult locations or who are not suitable for other treatments.
The trust is currently the only site in the UK delivering this treatment as part of a major European research study known as the RESPECT trial sponsored by the Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology Society of Europe (CIRSE).
The study is collecting data from across Europe to better understand how effective and safe this treatment is for patients with liver cancer, as well as its impact on survival, quality of life and pain.
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