Bill celebrates ten years cancer free thanks to Royal Surrey | News

A 96-year-old Royal Surrey cancer patient is celebrating ten years of being cancer free, after being the first patient to use the Trust’s Papillon radiotherapy machine, in April 2014.

Bill Prebble from Haslemere was referred to Royal Surrey in 2013 following a bowel cancer diagnosis. The standard treatment to remove the cancer would be surgery to remove the bowel resulting in a permanent colostomy.

Fortunately, after five weeks of daily radiotherapy, his tumour had shrunk significantly (less than 3cm at the time of Papillon) , which meant that Bill was a suitable patient to receive treatment from the Trust’s new Papillon machine.

Named after a French professor of medicine who first used the treatment in the 1940s, the Papillon machine delivers targeted internal radiotherapy using low energy x-rays close to a tumour. It was bought by the Trust with support from the BRIGHT and GUTS charities.

Bill’s son Paul said: “Only two other hospitals in England owned the Papillon machine at the time when Dad became a Royal Surrey patient and it had just been installed, so he was the first patient to use the brand new machine. It was very good timing.

“We feel so lucky that everything fell into place and Dad became the first patient to use the new machine. It was fortuitous that he was diagnosed in time and was in the right place at the right time. 

“When he was diagnosed with cancer, the surgeon said it was probably a slow growing tumour that he had had for a while. 

“I think in his heart of hearts, my Dad might have suspected he had bowel cancer even before the diagnosis but had been a bit afraid to see a doctor about it.

“We urged him to see someone about it after going on holiday together and noticing that he rushed to the loo after each meal. It’s something of a reminder that you should check out these things, rather than put them off.

“Dad was extremely positive once he was diagnosed. He took a pragmatic approach saying, ‘I’ve got it, there’s no point worrying about it. I’m being treated for it and I’m going to remain positive’.

“The staff at Royal Surrey were also absolutely amazing. Everyone was so upbeat that they made the experience very manageable.”

After just three sessions of radiotherapy using the Papillon machine, Bill was informed that his tumour had vanished and he still remains cancer free ten years later.

Dr Alex Stewart, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, said: “It’s brilliant to hear that Bill, the first patient to use the Papillon machine is doing so well. We are now one of four centres in the UK to use this machine to treat rectal cancer and the only one in the South of England, so we have a wide geographic referral area reaching as far as South Wales, Jersey and even the Bahamas.

"Last year an international randomised trial showed that Papillon helps more patients avoid major rectal surgery than external radiotherapy alone, so our referrals have doubled in the past year.

“With the support of our local charities and the computer science department at Royal Surrey, we have developed an international database for all centres using Papillon and have published two research papers describing the efficacy of the Papillon technique. We are also running a clinical trial called the CITRuS study in multiple centres across the country. It uses computers to allow patients to report the effects of colorectal cancer therapy, including Papillon treatment, on their life after treatment finishes, and to develop ways in which we can improve their quality of life."