'Routine screening saved my life' and 'wouldn’t have been cared for better anywhere else' - bowel cancer patients share journey from screening to surgery and taking part in a clinical research trial
This Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton (UHDB) patients have shared how routine screening through the post led to their bowel cancer diagnosis, and how taking part in a clinical research trial helped prepare them for surgery and quick recovery. Anthony Walsh and Rich Hawksworth , both from Derby have thanked teams who cared for them throughout their journey.
Anthony Walsh, 60, known to family and friends at 'Ant' explained the impact of being diagnosed with cancer on Christmas Eve and being cancer free by Easter after major bowel and cancer removal surgery - and the importance of taking up screening and 'being physically, emotionally and mentally prepared' to deal with cancer.
Based in Derby, before diagnosis, Ant led a full and busy life, working at Toyota and supporting colleagues through his union work. He has two Irish Wolfhounds, staying active by cycling and a keen guitarist playing both contemporary and rock music.
In November 2024 Ant completed routine screening after receiving an invitation through the post, which led to the surprising diagnosis just before Christmas, where his busy life came to a halt.
"It’s been a colossal emotional roller coaster… being told you have cancer"
Ant commented: "I was invited to take part in routine screening through the post and sent off my sample - I had no prior signs and symptoms of cancer before taking part in screening - nothing unusual and nothing had changed or seemed out of the ordinary."
"Being diagnosed was quite the bombshell, I remember thinking 'what does this mean, do I have a month or six months'? The whole thing happened really quickly after that, during my consultation with my surgeon said that because I had caught it so early through screening, I wouldn't even need radiotherapy to shrink the cancer prior to my bowel surgery."
"I can't thank the NHS enough… from diagnosis, to surgery, it happened so quickly. Taking part in the research study helped me understand what was happening to me and prepare me mentally and emotionally for surgery."
Ant's surgeon, Mr Samson Tou, recommended the prehabilitation study to help prepare him physically and lose weight for his upcoming surgery to remove the tumour and affected part of the bowel. The intense regimen involved 10 sessions that included a mix of cardiovascular and physical resistance training to improve Ant's physical condition prior to surgery.
"It was quite intensive, quite hard work, but worth it. Being someone that cycles a lot, I knew that I would have to push myself to get the most out of it. Something I didn't realise was the physical and mental benefits of the programme - I honestly don't know how I would have got through the whole ordeal without the support from the research team."
Surgical research fellow and registrar, Joshua Wall, runs the Medical Research Council (MRC)-funded study with a team from the University of Nottingham based at the Medical School in the Royal Derby Hospital.
''Joshua answered all of my questions about the upcoming surgery, and it really helped me get to grips with my condition and mentally prepare for surgery. I went from 92kg down to around 70kg - which was a pretty significant amount of weight to lost in a short space of time."
''I experienced no pain, nothing at all from day one - I only had paracetamol, which I stopped taking halfway through my hospital stay.''
Ant underwent major surgery to remove the part of his bowel containing the cancer. It was a 10+ hour long surgery, and he spent nine days in hospital. Weeks after his surgery, he reflected "The first few days after surgery were tough however, since then, my recovery has been going really well, we're coming up to three and half months now since my diagnosis, and I've gone from having cancer to essentially being cured. I don't need any further treatment or chemotherapy because it was caught early and will have five years of monitoring - I feel 100% and now I'm phasing back into work."
The study is led by principal investigator Professor Beth Phillips and co-investigator and Professor Jon Lund. Beth said, "We have seen across a number of studies that individuals with colorectal cancer find it hard to improve aspects of physical function which are known to help them recover from surgery. In this study, we want to explore if combining two-different types of exercise can help overcome this, and importantly how, so that we can move towards more personalised advice in the future."
Reflecting on his experiences on the clinical trial, Ant said, "Being part of this helped me prepare for my surgery and come to terms with my cancer - I can't emphasise enough about the benefits of the programme, improving your fitness and losing weight - it had a massive impact on my mental and emotional state."
"I wouldn't have been cared for better anywhere else" after major cancer surgery"
The trial has recruited 35 patients so far, including Rich Hawksworth, 57, from Mackworth, Derby, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer after being invited for screening, and took part in the trial in preparation for major bowel removal surgery.
Rich said, "I lost a stone prior to operation and the recovery has been great. I would absolutely recommend it; the team is so encouraging.
"I've had unbelievable care at UHDB and on Ward 308, I would never have expected my surgeon to be so hands on post-op and the communication between all of the teams has been phenomenal.
"It's not often you say it's been a pleasure being in hospital, but I wouldn't have been cared for better anywhere else."
Colorectal cancer is more common in older people who are often physically inactive and may be more likely to have other long-term complex health conditions which makes having major surgery more of a risk to their health. This approach of supporting patients to be in the best possible physical condition before surgery, called 'prehabilitation', and encourages patients to be proactive in their own recovery journey outside of their cancer treatment and can help them feel better in the time leading up to their treatment.
Joshua explains "Fighting cancer can place a lot of stress on the body, but for some cancers you can improve your outcomes with exercise training. We hope that using resistance exercise in addition to HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), can help people with bowel cancer in the run up to a major operation."
Previous work undertaken by the team at the University of Nottingham found that using HIIT alone did not seem to improve fitness in patients with bowel cancer so in this new approach, the team have combined resistance training with HIIT. Patients are enrolled shortly after their cancer diagnosis and the study consists of eight to 12 sessions of physical training and two assessment days to test fitness levels before the patient's operation.
"To see if the approach is effective, we look at physical fitness, changes in quality of life, length of hospital stay and other measures of physical function such as walking and balance tests. Working closely with our university laboratory, we also analyse blood, urine, saliva and muscle samples to see how well the patient’s muscles are building up and breaking down as we know this is affected by cancer.
"If we can determine that this approach can improve and optimise patient care before surgery, we might be able to see wider benefits like reduced surgery cancellations, reduced length-of-stay in hospital and fewer post-surgery complications."
More information about bowel cancer
Bowel cancer also called 'colorectal cancer' occurs in the rectum or colon and is the fourth most common cancer with over 44,000 national diagnoses each year and makes up 11% of all new cancer cases nationally.
Taking part in screening can save lives and everyone should check their risk. The age for taking part in screening has been lowered - Andy Robinson, Dad of two, shares how the lowered screening age saved his life and encourages others to take part >.
For more information about signs and symptoms, visit the NHS symptoms page > or the Bowel Cancer UK website >.