A NEWCASTLE mum, who was days away from paralysis because of a tumour the size of a grapefruit, says she is living proof of the power of research and is backing a campaign to help fund more big breakthroughs.
Janet Rebair, 60, was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer on her lower spine, but believes she owes her life to Cancer Research UK after benefitting from a type of precision radiotherapy it helped to develop.
Janet was the first patient from the North East to receive specialist proton beam therapy at The Christie hospital in Manchester, saving her life and her mobility.
In December 2018 Janet was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.
“In September 2018 I began with unimaginable pain in my back, to the point where I was screaming and couldn’t speak. My husband called an ambulance, and I was taken straight to A+E, but nothing could be found so I was sent home with pain relief and advised to rest.
“This unfortunately happened three more times and over a period of three months I was losing mobility in my legs and had horrific pain. My husband had to take time off work to care for me and one morning while my daughter was bathing me, she found a hard lump on my spine.”
Janet was referred by her GP for an X-ray and from there she was sent for a scan two weeks later to investigate further.
“I went in for a scan at the Freeman Hospital on the Monday morning, which showed there was a tumour and sent to the RVI for a biopsy. By Wednesday I was being told I had a large cancerous tumour within the vertebrae and wrapped around the spinal cord of my lower spine and that I needed to have surgery immediately to save my life.”
Janet had been diagnosed with a rare bone cancer that is more commonly found in the leg and knee bones and in children and teenagers.
“Doctors were dumbfounded by it. Not just because of the sheer size of the tumour, but its type and in someone my age. They said they hadn’t heard of a case like it before and if it had been left any longer I would have had permanent paralysis and most likely it would have killed me. I went into hospital that Wednesday and didn’t go home until 6 months later.”
After being admitted to the RVI Hospital in Newcastle Janet underwent a 13-hour operation to remove the grapefruit sized tumour.
Metal rods were inserted on either side of her spine to support the bone, and muscle was used to fill the massive hole left by the tumour.
Janet, who worked for HMRC for 30 years until she was forced to take early retirement because of her health, said:
“The tumour had been squeezing my spinal cord. Only a handful of surgeons could have done the operation and fortunately for me, one was in Newcastle. He helped saved my life.”
After three weeks recovery Janet underwent a further 5-hour operation to remove remaining cancer cells and then began intensive chemotherapy.
Sadly though, she only managed to complete three sessions when she contracted sepsis and was admitted to intensive care, where she once again fought for her life.
Once Janet had recovered, she needed to complete her cancer treatment and was selected for specialist proton beam therapy at The Christie hospital in Manchester, home to the first high energy NHS proton beam therapy centre in the UK.
She was the first patient from the North East to receive the treatment there after it opened in December 2018 and she was required to relocate to Manchester for 10 weeks.
Janet, , mum to Amy, and Tom, said:
“At first I was really reluctant to go as I’d just got home after six months in hospital and I’m a real home bird, but this was the only course of treatment possible to help me beat cancer.”
Proton beam therapy is a type of radiotherapy that uses protons instead of x-rays. These protons can be directed to stop precisely inside the tumour and produce a burst of energy. This destroys the cancer and spares nearby healthy cells.
Cancer Research UK funded the world’s first hospital-based proton beam device in 1989, which is still in use today, and also supported some of the world’s first clinical trials into the treatment.
Janet said:
“The rare nature of my condition continued to create hurdles along the way and doctors ended up consulting with colleagues in America on how to administer the therapy around the rods that had been put into my spine. Thankfully they persevered and I was able to receive all 37 rounds of proton beam therapy.
“For an hour a day, 5 days a week for 2 and half months I went to the centre at The Christie for treatment. It was like being in something from a science fiction film. It didn’t hurt at all, but it was a little claustrophobic and restrictive as you have to stay completely still.
“Finally on 12th December 2019, a year after first being diagnosed, I got to ring the end of treatment bell and was told I was in remission. It was a moment of real celebration after all I’d been through.”
Success stories like Janet’s are only made possible by the generosity of Cancer Research UK supporters, who help fund breakthroughs in research. That’s why she’s urging people across the North East to help save more lives by donating monthly to the charity.
Cancer Research UK scientists laid the foundations for modern radiotherapy back in the 1920s. After decades of research to innovate and improve it, today radiotherapy is used to treat more than 140,000 people every year in the UK,* from curing early-stage cancer to easing symptoms for people with terminal illness.
Janet, who recently celebrated her 60th birthday, said:
“Fortunately for me the incredible care I received after my diagnosis saved my life and I’m cancer free. I am forever grateful for research into cancer, like the advances in radiotherapy that I benefited from, and I want people to know just how important research is to saving lives. I still struggle with pain and mobility, but I’m alive and every birthday is extra special now.
“Life-saving treatments are made by decades of testing, trialling and learning. I simply wouldn’t be here without the energy and commitment of Cancer Research UK scientists. Step by step they’re beating this devastating disease and donating monthly will make a huge difference to their work now and in the future.”
The charity’s goal for ‘next-gen’ radiotherapy is making it more personalised and targeted so that everyone gets the best treatment for their cancer. Launched in 2019, it invested £43m – and recently committed a further £24m – to supporting RadNet, a network of seven centres of excellence aimed at fast-tracking advanced techniques and harnessing new technologies like AI to make radiotherapy smarter.
Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the North East, Lisa Millett, said:
“As the evolution of radiotherapy shows, we’ve been at the forefront of cancer research for over 100 years. From making it more targeted to combining it with other treatments and reducing the number of doses needed, Cancer Research UK has changed clinical practice worldwide and made radiotherapy kinder and more effective. But our work isn’t done yet.
“That’s why we’re grateful to Janet for helping to raise vital awareness and funds. We want to bring about a world where everybody lives longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer – no matter who they are or where they’re from. And monthly donations are critical to making this a reality.”
Support the future of cancer research at cruk.org/donate
