A man from Newark who had a tumour described as the 'size of two babies' and was told it was untreatable has had complex surgery to remove it and no has no signs of cancer at all. Ian Holden, 71, was diagnosed with retroperitoneal sarcoma, a rare tumour that develops in the tissue at the back of the abdomen next to the kidneys, in June 2021 and was told it was inoperable.
He asked for a second opinion though, and was referred to Dr Dirk Strauss at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, which has a specialist cancer treatment hospital in London. By the time he was seen by Dr Strauss, his tumour had grown to 7.5kg - roughly 18lbs.
Dr Strauss said he could try to operate and remove the tumour, and this procedure turned out to be successful. The story features on the final episode of Channel 4's 'Super Surgeons: A Chance at Life' which airs at 10pm on Monday (August 1).
