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Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins
DoB: 26-Jan-1946
Chepstow, NP16 7LR, Monmouthshire, United Kingdoms.
tel: 01594 - 528 337
on: http://GregLanceWatkins.Blogspot.com

All ideas and info. provided here are to be discussed with your medical professionals. I am NOT Medically trained. I have merely had this vile disease since 1998 - always use your Common Sense and seek expert medical advice.
YOU MAY FIND THE LINKS in text and in the Right Sidebar of Help.
I can NOT vouch for any external site that I may direct readers to & therefore can NOT accept any legal responsibility - this is a personal blog of that which I believe only.
I do NOT believe there are magical cures hidden from us by our medical professionals though there are without doubt cases that seem cured as if by magic. Medical knowledge of this disease is very rudimentary and research frequently profligate but pointless!
However - sticking goji berries in your ear on a moonless night or similar WILL NOT HELP - Nor will the price paid for quackery be it here OR Mexico, Brazil or China!
There are many health care professionals trying their very best with great care and compassion but perfection is a little way off!
Be Minded:
I have cancer - cancer does not have me!

"Cowards die many times before their deaths; The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, it seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end, will come when it will come". - (Julius Caesar - Act II, Scene II).

Saturday, 11 February 2012

Fasting is an Interesting THEORY

Fasting is an Interesting THEORY
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Hi,

I was reading The Economist earlier and came across this interesting article which clearly is only, as yet, a theory. It does seem to have some grounding in a level of common sense I can equate to.


My choice would I think be, should I have the need for chemo. again, to drink a high level of vitamin C juices take vitamin C tablets disolved IN the juice and sweeten with pure honey.


That would provide nutrient, stave off hunger and could do you little harm if it failed to help =- Though I am ambivalent on the issue as sound high nutrient food does seem to feed and support the imune system and provides reserves you may find you need if you have a period where you are unable to eat, as with sickness or ulcerated mouth and gullet!


The first time around, which seems to have worked so far I made sure I drank at least 2 pints of freshly squeezed fruit juice ate half a pint of Greek yoghurt with honey AND used 'Difflam' oral rinse to deaden the pain of ulcers to make eating a possibility.


Through my Chemo. & Radiation Treatment my weight did not seem to vary and I made efforts to NOT miss my main meal a day which includes lightly cooked green veggies and salads WITH good quality meat or fish in moderation.


Make of the article what you will and I have provided a host of other links:

Fasting and cancer

Starving the beast

Feb 9th 2012, 22:02 by T.C.
DENIAL, famously, is good for the soul. It is also good for the body. Scientists have known for decades that animals fed near-starvation diet in laboratories see dramatic boosts in their lifespans. A lack of nutrients seems to spur the activity of cellular repair mechanisms, which help to slow the gradual accumulation of cellular damage that is one cause of aging.

Some humans, too, try to cheat aging by starving themselves. No one yet knows if such forbearance has the desired effect on members of Homo sapiens. In the meantime, though, boosting a body's repair mechanisms may have other uses. One could be in cancer treatment, where fasting seems both to protect healthy tissue and to make tumours easier to treat.

In 2008 a group led by Lizzia Raffaghello, a biologist at the University of Southern California (USC), published a paper suggesting that a short, sharp course of fasting—not eating at all for a few days, as opposed to months of eating much less than normal—could make ordinary, non-cancerous cells more resistant to the side-effects of chemotherapy, at least in yeast and mice. If the same results were found in humans, it could mean less suffering for cancer patients; or it could free doctors to use higher doses of chemotherapy in an attempt to tackle cancers more aggressively.

But fasting may bring other benefits, too. On February 8th Valter Longo, one of Dr Raffaghellos' colleagues at USC (and a contributing author to her paper from 2008) published a paper of his own showing that—again in yeast and in mice—fasting can actually make cancerous cells more susceptible to chemotherapy than they otherwise might be. Cancerous mice treated with a combination of chemotherapy and fasting had better survival chances and smaller tumours, for several different types of cancer, than those treated with either fasting or chemotherapy alone. In some cases, the combination treatment eradicated even metastasised cancers completely.

The researchers suggest that the explanation for this double bill of fewer side effects and more vulnerable tumours is that cancer cells do not do what the rest of the body would like them to. In thin times, normal cells switch their attention away from reproduction and towards preservation, beefing up their repair mechanisms, and hunker down to wait for better days.

Not so cancer cells which, after all, are distinguished by their reckless proliferation. So while ordinary cells become resistant to chemotherapy drugs following a fast, cancer cells do not. In fact, in Dr Vango's study, tumour cells seemed to boost their activity levels during times of famine. That, in turn, boosted the quantity of free radicals, highly oxidising and damaging chemicals produced as a side-effect of metabolism, inside them. Thus stressed, the tumour cells found it much harder to cope with the added battering from chemotherapy drugs.

The usual caveats apply, as they do to all studies of lab animals; mice and yeast cells are not human. But if fasting shows similar effects in humans with cancer—and early-stage clinical trials are already under way—then the attractions are obvious. Fasting is cheap, safe and, in theory, should work against a wide variety of cancer types. Not quite a magic bullet, then, but not far off.
To view the original of this article CLICK HERE
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 Please Be Sure To
My Blogs
To Spread The Facts World Wide To Give Others HOPE
I Have Been Fighting Cancer since 1997 & I'M STILL HERE!
I Have Cancer, Cancer Does NOT Have Me

I just want to say sorry for copping out at times and leaving Lee and friends to cope!
Any help and support YOU can give her will be hugely welcome.
I do make a lousy patient!
.
If YOU want to follow my fight against Cancer from when it started and I first presented with symptoms see The TAB just below the Header of this Blog. called >DIARY of Cancer< just click and it will give you a long list of the main events in chronological order.
.
Thoughts and comments will be in chronological order in the main blog and can be tracked in the >ARCHIVE< in the Right Sidebar.
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You may find the TABS >MEDICAL LINKS< and also >CANCER LINKS< of help. . YOU are welcome to call me if you believe I can help in ANY way.
 .
Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins
tel: 01594 - 528 337
on: http://GregLanceWatkins.Blogspot.com  
TWITTER: Greg_LW
Health/Cancer Blog: http://GregLW.blogspot.com  
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Wednesday, 8 February 2012

Stay Positive with Exercise by: Liz Davies

Stay Positive with Exercise by: Liz Davies
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Hi,

recently I was asked by a reader of this blog, with views and opinions on the main thrust of the blog, if I would host a posting by them which I agreed to on condition that it was 'selling' nothing and was broadly rational!

I now offer Liz Davies' posting - un-edited and am happy to say I endorse much of the sound common sense she offers.

Recently October) Lee and I took on a new home which promptly gave rise to an irational amount of work - both in terms of just moving but also the large garden required a lot of attention and remodelling - we found the kitchen roof leaked like a sieve and we had to take that off and rebuild it with new timbers, a more viable angle and more besides - The house had zero roof insulation so that had to be done and the attics floored - then we realised the heating system was not only dated but far from effective!

And so it goes on!

The work has in itself provided its fair share of 'pain' as without ANY stomach muscles  or much of an imune system it was all uphill! However I was determined to break the back of the work and ensure it was warm and homely for Lee if anything DID happen to me since after all I was expected to die by around the end of June.

The challenges, the work and the goals have contributed hugely to my survival to date - I am sure! Whether that has been the excercise, the determination to ensure Lee will be OK, her support or just the excercise I can not tell - BUT I'm still here!

So far so good!

Liz Davies is a great advocate of excercise - I see no reason to disagree with her!

That said I do tend to subscribe to the concept that if you need excercise it could be dangerous for you and if you don't need it why do it! Ever the cynic ;-)


Here are Liz Davies' thoughts on the issue of attitude & excercise:

Stay Positive with Exercise

Along with its numerous physical benefits, exercise can provide positive psychological effects. We now know through research that exercise increases the levels of dopamine and serotonin- neurotransmitters in the brain. The boosted levels of these neurotransmitters can, in turn, help with conditions like cancer, increasing energy levels and mood.

Our brains produce the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin to allow communication between brain cells. The brain uses dopamine to activate motor skills and modulate concentration and mood. Serotonin is used to regulate mood, appetite, body temperature, and more. Low serotonin levels are associated with depression- a not uncommon condition among cancer patients.

Starting an exercise regimen can
increase the levels of serotonin in your brain, helping you maintain a more positive mood and relieving anxiety. Serotonin boosts mood, helps lift depression, and increases feelings of satiety. If you've ever physically exerted yourself and felt an elevation of mood afterwards, you were likely experiencing the effects of increased neurotransmitters, including serotonin. Many prescription drugs work to alleviate depression symptoms by increasing those same serotonin levels, but you can accomplish the same thing through exercise and without the negative side effects of drugs.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with your
bioclock- your cycles of sleeping and waking. An imbalance in our dopamine levels typically causes the feeling you get when you have "jet lag". Our stores can become depleted from chronic anxiety, stress, or low blood sugar levels. There is also a relationship between dopamine and serotonin. Raising levels of one helps raises the level of the other.

If you start an exercise regimen, you will also notice a pain-killing effect. This is brought about by the effect exercise has on bodily substances that function as neurotransmitters, namely endorphins. Endorphins are the body's own pain killers. The well known "runners high" is created by the release of endorphins, providing soothing feelings of pain relief and mood elevation. Some patients suffering from forms of cancer such as
mesothelioma have even been able to lower their dosage of pain relievers due to the endorphin effect.

Although you may be ill, there are still some exercises you can do that will provide all the benefits outlined here. Your present condition and any treatments you are undergoing will, of course, have an impact on what type of exercise you should get. As always, consult with your doctor before attempting any activities that could impact your condition.

Liz Davies is a recent college graduate and aspiring writer especially interested in health and wellness. She wants to make a difference in people’s lives because she sees how cancer has devastated so many people in this world. Liz also likes running, playing lacrosse, reading and playing with her dog, April.

Thank you for your contribution Liz and I hope you have found the rest of the blog of help and interest in the same way that I enjoyed your article.
 .
 Please Be Sure To
My Blogs
To Spread The Facts World Wide To Give Others HOPE
I Have Been Fighting Cancer since 1997 & I'M STILL HERE!
I Have Cancer, Cancer Does NOT Have Me

I just want to say sorry for copping out at times and leaving Lee and friends to cope!
Any help and support YOU can give her will be hugely welcome.
I do make a lousy patient!
.
If YOU want to follow my fight against Cancer from when it started and I first presented with symptoms see The TAB just below the Header of this Blog. called >DIARY of Cancer< just click and it will give you a long list of the main events in chronological order.
.
Thoughts and comments will be in chronological order in the main blog and can be tracked in the >ARCHIVE< in the Right Sidebar.

You may find the TABS >MEDICAL LINKS< and also >CANCER LINKS< of help.
 .
YOU are welcome to call me if you believe I can help in ANY way.
.
Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins
tel: 01594 - 528 337
on: http://GregLanceWatkins.Blogspot.com  
TWITTER: Greg_LW
Health/Cancer Blog: http://GregLW.blogspot.com  
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Thursday, 26 January 2012

Things Change - After 66 Years!

Things Change - After 66 Years!
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So 26-Jan has come around again!


This year sees me weigh in at 66!


After first presenting with the symptoms in November 1998 and then having a radical nephrectomy (kidney removal) due to cancer in September 2001 I guess I didn't expect to get this far!


After MRSA, numerous minor ops for bladder cancer New Years eve 2010 saw me on an operating table again - A 'students dream New Year's Eve' - Flat on my back surrounded by nurses and high on drugs!


It was fairly obvious the disease had moved on and eventually after the shambolic incompetence of The NHS under Welsh management, more interested in vanity projects and political showboating, at the end of March I finally received the diagnosis of tumours in the abdomen and lymph system!!


Yes due to the utter incompetence of the NHS in Wales it had taken 3 months to organise an urgent scan in a known case of metastatic cancer and provide a result!!


Prognosis was about 3 months!


So I opted for high dosage Chemotherapy followed by about a month of daily dosage Radio Therapy (Radiation Treatment!).


Well a marriage, a home move and much more I would ESPECIALLY like to thank Dr. Lester and his team - without whom I would NOT be here. Gerald and Carol for their incredible support and of course Lee who after 26 years together I have finally married!


When you consider that when I was born in 1946 Britain and her allies had just won a World War and there were just under 2 Billion people on the planet.


2012 has arrived and we seem to have lost a war and we are now governed with absolutely no meaningful pretence of democracy by our Continental enemies and have all but abandoned our allies, we have still found ourselves heavily in debt but this time for rather less honourable reasons as a result of economic illiteracy of our own utterly incompetent and seeminly malign Labour Government and with very little light at the end of the tunnel - not least of all due to a rise in world population just before Christmas to over 7 Billion.


That is not all that has changed as you will note from when I was 9, 2 years before I flew to Singapore alone and found myself embroilled in The Suez crisis and stranded in Ankara!:


Comments made in the year 1955!


I'll tell you one thing, if things keep going the way they are, it's going to be impossible to buy a week's groceries for $10.00.


Have you seen the new cars
coming out next year? It won't be long before $2,000.00 will only buy a used one.

Did you hear the post office is
thinking about charging 4 cents just to mail a letter.

If they raise the minimum wage
to $1.00, nobody will be able to hire outside help at the store.

When I first started driving, who
would have thought gas would someday cost 25 cents a gallon. Guess we'd be better off leaving
the car in the garage.




I'm afraid to send my kids to the
movies any more. Ever since they let Clark Gable get by with saying DAMN in GONE WITH THE WIND, it seems every new movie has either HELL or DAMN in it.



I read the other day where some
scientist thinks it's possible to put a man on the moon by the end of the century. They even have some fellows they call astronauts preparing for it down in Texas .


Did you see where some baseball
player just signed a contract for $50,000 a year just to play ball? It wouldn't surprise me if someday they'll be making more than the President.

I never thought I'd see the day
all our kitchen appliances would be electric. They're even making electric typewriters now.

It's too bad things are so tough
nowadays. I see where a few married women are having to work to make ends meet.

It won't be long before young
couples are going to have to hire someone to watch their kids so they can both work.


I'm afraid the Volkswagen car
is going to open the door to a whole lot of foreign business.

Thank goodness I won't live to see the day
when the Government takes half our income in taxes. I sometimes wonder if we are
electing the best people to government.

The fast food restaurant is
convenient for a quick meal, but I seriously doubt they will ever catch on.

There is no sense going on short
trips anymore for a weekend. It costs nearly $2.00 a night to stay in a hotel.

No one can afford to be sick
anymore. At $15.00 a day in the hospital, it's too rich for my blood.


If they think I'll pay 30 cents for a haircut, forget it.




"In politics, stupidity is not a handicap." 
Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821), 

Regards,
Greg L-W.

for all my contact details &amp; Blogs: CLICK HERE  

British Politicians with pens and treachery, in pursuit of their own agenda and greed, have done more damage to the liberty, freedoms, rights and democracy of the British peoples than any army in over 1,000 years.

The disastrous effects of British politicians selling Britain into the thrall of foreign rule by the EU for their own personal rewards has damaged the well-being of Britain more than the armies of Hitler and the Franco - German - Italian axis of 1939 - 1945.

Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins
tel: 01594 - 528 337
of: Greg_L-W@BTconnect.com  
DO MAKE USE of LINKS & >Right Side Bar<  
Also:
Details & Links: http://GregLanceWatkins.Blogspot.com  
General Stuff: http://gl-w.blogspot.com  
Health Blog.: http://GregLW.blogspot.com  
TWITTER: Greg_LW
 .
 Please Be Sure To
My Blogs
To Spread The Facts World Wide To Give Others HOPE
I Have Been Fighting Cancer since 1997 & I'M STILL HERE!
I Have Cancer, Cancer Does NOT Have Me

I just want to say sorry for copping out at times and leaving Lee and friends to cope!
Any help and support YOU can give her will be hugely welcome.
I do make a lousy patient!
.
If YOU want to follow my fight against Cancer from when it started and I first presented with symptoms see The TAB just below the Header of this Blog. called >DIARY of Cancer< just click and it will give you a long list of the main events in chronological order.
.
Thoughts and comments will be in chronological order in the main blog and can be tracked in the >ARCHIVE< in the Right Sidebar.

You may find the TABS >MEDICAL LINKS< and also >CANCER LINKS< of help.
.
YOU are welcome to call me if you believe I can help in ANY way. .

Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins
tel: 01594 - 528 337
on: http://GregLanceWatkins.Blogspot.com  
TWITTER: Greg_LW  
Health/Cancer Blog: http://GregLW.blogspot.com  
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Wednesday, 18 January 2012

PROSTATE CANCER, Treat? Cut? or Ignore?

PROSTATE CANCER, Treat? Cut? or Ignore?
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To Treat or Not to Treat Prostate Cancer: That Is the Question

January 18, 2012
By Durado Brooks, MD, MPH

Imagine being told by your doctor, "You have cancer."  Then imagine that their next words are "... but we probably don't need to do anything about it."  Many people would immediately start looking for another doctor. But hold on just a moment.

Last month the National Institutes of Health (NIH) brought together experts from around the world for a summit to examine the state of our scientific knowledge on "active surveillance" as a management strategy for prostate cancer. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, active surveillance essentially means monitoring the cancer closely and delaying active treatment (surgery or radiation, for instance) until there are signs it is needed; the delay may be months, years, or forever. This summit pointed out that while there is still much we need to learn about this once-controversial approach, there is a wealth of data supporting the potential value of active surveillance for a large number of the 240,000 men in the United States who are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. 

Not treating cancer?

To most individuals, the idea of having cancer and choosing not to treat it smacks of fatalism, or just giving up. In order to understand why this is not the case, it is important to appreciate that all prostate cancers are not created equal. 

There are many prostate cancers that can be singled out as likely to be slow growing and posing a low risk to the affected man;  these can be identified by looking at a man's PSA level (prostate specific antigen; a protein made by the prostate gland and measured in the blood), Gleason score (a numerical representation of how a man's tumor looks under the microscope), and other factors (size of the tumor, how much of the prostate gland is invaded by cancer, etc.). The vast majority of men with these low-risk tumors will end up dying of something other than prostate cancer, and few of these men would ever experience any harm from their cancer if it went untreated (or if it was never found in the first place).  

It's estimated that as many as half of the prostate cancers diagnosed each year in the US fit into this low-risk category. However, to most people the term "low-risk cancer" sounds like an oxymoron.  This quandary prompted a number of summit speakers to question whether this type of tumor should even be called "cancer," or if the scientific community should come up with a new, less frightening term to describe these slow growing prostate lesions.  

For most men who are told that they have prostate cancer the first question is, "How soon can we get rid of it?" In the US, 90% of these men move very rapidly to what is viewed as definitive therapy, usually prostatectomy (surgical removal of the prostate gland) or killing the cancer cells with radiation treatment. These treatments come with the risk of side effects and complications, most commonly damage to bladder or bowel function, and sexual difficulties.  A recent report from the US Preventive Services Task Force estimates that 1 or more of these complications occur in up to 30 of every 100 men treated for prostate cancer; the same report indicates that 1 of every 200 men who undergo surgical removal of their prostate dies within 30 days of their surgery.  These numbers point to why it's so important to explore alternative approaches to managing this disease.

Watchful waiting and active surveillance


Prostate cancer is primarily a disease of older men, and many men diagnosed with the disease already have multiple health problems (and in some cases a limited life expectancy).  Given these circumstances it has long been the practice of doctors who treat prostate cancer to weigh these factors and to recommend to some men that, as opposed to beginning treatment shortly after diagnosis, they be observed by their doctors and begin treatment only if they develop symptoms that suggest that their cancer is getting worse.  This approach is known as "watchful waiting."

Over time, evidence emerged that most men who were observed in this fashion did well for a number of years.  This information, combined with the growing number of low-risk tumors being diagnosed as a result of having widespread PSA screening for prostate cancer, raised the question as to whether younger, healthy men might also benefit from a delayed treatment approach. 

Managing the cancer in these men evolved from simple observation to more intensive follow up, including repeated PSA tests and regular biopsies of the prostate gland, treating the cancer only if it begins to grow or spread. This approach has become known as "active surveillance" (differentiating it from the more passive watchful waiting).  Research studies were undertaken to find out about the impact of both of these approaches on the long-term outcomes of men with prostate cancer, and speakers at the NIH summit described findings from a number of such studies.

'A viable option' for low-risk patients

In one of these studies, the Prostate Cancer Intervention vs. Observation Trial (PIVOT), men diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer were given the option of prostatectomy or observation; these men were then tracked over time. PIVOT used a traditional watchful waiting approach: men were simply observed and treatment was begun only if symptoms developed or if the man requested it.  After approximately 10 years of follow up the risk of dying from prostate cancer was small (less than 10%), and was essentially the same whether a man chose surgery or observation.  The risk of death from any cause, including both prostate cancer and other diseases (referred to as "all cause mortality") was also about the same between these groups. 

A number of other studies have been carried out to look at outcomes of active surveillance, using observation combined with repeat PSA tests and prostate biopsies to look for whether the cancer was spreading or getting worse. These studies, some of which have been underway for 15 years or more, have found that only a small proportion of men diagnosed with low-risk disease will show signs of significant cancer progression. 

Like PIVOT, most active surveillance studies have found low rates of death from prostate cancer among men with low-risk disease. They have also found similar rates of all cause mortality in men who choose active surveillance when compared to men who got immediate treatment. In addition, men who choose an observational approach (active surveillance or watchful waiting) avoid or delay the side effects associated with surgery or radiation. Based on the strength of the accumulated evidence the NIH expert panel concluded that "active surveillance has emerged as a viable option that should be offered to all low-risk patients."

Bottom line

So why do 9 out of 10 men with prostate cancer in the US end up being treated shortly after they're diagnosed? It turns out that many prostate cancer patients have never heard of active surveillance or watchful waiting, and are never told that observation is an option they could consider for their cancer. In other cases active surveillance is discussed as a potential management option but is presented in an unfavorable manner (i.e., "we can treat your cancer or we can just do nothing"). 

Even in circumstances where active surveillance is discussed in a fair, objective manner there are a number of other factors that may influence the likelihood of men choosing and sticking with this option.  These include whether or not their physician supports their choice, support from family and friends, and the patients' personal perceptions of and experience with cancer (whether they themselves have had other types of cancer in the past, or observed friends or family go through cancer treatment).

So if you or someone close to you has been diagnosed with prostate cancer - slow down! After getting past the shock, start asking some questions. Find out all that you can about the tumor, and determine whether the cancer fits into the low-risk category. Be sure to explore all treatment options, including active surveillance. In some cases of prostate cancer "no treatment" may turn out to be the best treatment.
Ti view the original article CLICK HERE

The NIH expert panel draft report can be accessed at http://consensus.nih.gov/2011/prostate.htm.

Brooks is director of prostate and colorectal cancers for the American Cancer Society.
 .
 Please Be Sure To
My Blogs
To Spread The Facts World Wide To Give Others HOPE
I Have Been Fighting Cancer since 1997 & I'M STILL HERE!
I Have Cancer, Cancer Does NOT Have Me

I just want to say sorry for copping out at times and leaving Lee and friends to cope!
Any help and support YOU can give her will be hugely welcome.
I do make a lousy patient!
.
If YOU want to follow my fight against Cancer from when it started and I first presented with symptoms see The TAB just below the Header of this Blog. called >DIARY of Cancer< just click and it will give you a long list of the main events in chronological order.
.
Thoughts and comments will be in chronological order in the main blog and can be tracked in the >ARCHIVE< in the Right Sidebar.

You may find the TABS >MEDICAL LINKS< and also >CANCER LINKS< of help.
.
YOU are welcome to call me if you believe I can help in ANY way.
.
Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins
tel: 01594 - 528 337
DO MAKE USE of LINKS & >Right Side Bar< Also:
General Stuff: http://gl-w.blogspot.com  
  TWITTER: Greg_L
  
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Thursday, 12 January 2012

Daily Mail reports Kidney Cancer accidental death

Daily Mail reports Kidney Cancer accidental death
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A widow died on an operating table after a surgeon tried to remove the wrong organ, an inquest heard today. 



Widow dies on operating table when surgeon tries to remove liver instead of her kidney

 

  • Amy Francis underwent surgery for kidney cancer
  • Trainee loses confidence during operation
  • Liver ruptures causing death
  • Hospital admits to error

By SADIE WHITELOCKS

Amy Francis, 77, underwent keyhole surgery to remove a cancerous right kidney last July.
But during the operation at the Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, her liver ruptured as it was mistakenly pulled out and, despite desperate efforts to save her, she died of internal bleeding.
Consultant urologist Dr Adam Carter, admitted to the error and highlighted that as a result of the death, a modified operating procedure had been communicated 'worldwide'.
Her son Alan, 52, praised Dr Carter for his honesty and the  hospital for 'owning up' early.
Following the hearing he said: 'We appreciated Mr Carter’s honesty and him coming along here today and hope that we can put it all behind us now.
'I think that it was the honesty that saved the hospital. If we thought that they had not answered our questions it would have been different. 
'This was an honest mistake.'
Retired accountant, Mrs Francis, was diagnosed with kidney cancer and was due to be treated after she had recovered from the routine surgery.
 
But during the operation Dr Carter allowed a trainee, who had never performed the procedure before, to locate and remove the organ.
As the trainee wasn't confident enough to remove the organ Dr Carter was forced to take over, and during the changeover confusion occurred.
When he attempted to remove the kidney he was immediately told by the anesthetist that the patient’s blood pressure was dropping and he realised his mistake.
Consultant urologist Dr Adam Carter, admitted to the fatal error during an operation performed at the Royal Gwent Hospital
Consultant urologist Dr Adam Carter, admitted to the fatal error during an operation performed at the Royal Gwent Hospital
Two senior surgeons were called to the scene and every effort was made to save Mrs Francis, but they were unsuccessful.
David Bowen, the coroner for Gwent, said: 'Whilst undergoing keyhole surgery for the necessary removal of the cancerous kidney, Mrs Francis’s liver was ruptured when it was mistakenly and unintentionally identified as the kidney and was catastrophically torn and damaged, resulting in death.' 
Dr Carter said he had carried out the procedure 20 times since the death without a problem.
Son Alan said before the inquest finished: 'We accept the decision and we also accept that Mr Carter and his team acted in good faith to prolong my mother’s life.
'We also appreciated his honesty and wish him well for the future and hope he goes on to do other successful operations.'
Over the last 40 years, the number of cases of kidney cancer has doubled in men and risen by 130 per cent in women, a trend which is believed to be linked to rising obesity figures.
There were 3638 new cases diagnosed in men and 2118 new cases diagnosed in woman in England during 2007.

To view the original of this article CLICK HERE


I received this same operation 05-Sep-2001, in the same theater, but then laparascopic surgery for a nephrectomy due to cancer was NOT often practiced and my operation was a full open operation sadly this increases the risks of infection and prolongues recovery but despite serious infection and a fully herniated wound the operation saved my life.

YES accidents happen in surgery as it is not an exact science - Obviously there was no intention to cause an infection nor intent to create a massive inoperable hernia - It is called an accident and I totally endorse the attitude of Mrs. Francis's family, I also endorse the decision to protect the tranee surgeon from identification and clearly the responsibility, if not the action, was Adam Carter's.

I have known Adam Carter since before he took over leading the team when Windsor Bowsher sadly died 11-May-2011. His actions in this issue have been entirely honourable as I would expect and I would be happy to have him operate on me, if I ever need further complex surgery.


Some weeks after my operation a friend of mine, who is a senior nurse at the same hospital, lost her father on that same operating table whilst having a nephrectomy due to cancer. 

In his case the death was unrelated to his cancer or his kidney as he died of a massive heart attack at the very start of the operation and despite being in exactly the right pl;ace to help him survive the team were unable to revive him.

Yes accidents and tragedies happen and the risks are higher in hospitals but with a clear case of an accident that the hospital and medical team immediately keep the family or victim informed - unless there is clear negligence or similar - there is no moral 'right' to capitalise on the accident.

I am sure that Mrs. Francis would have been proud of her family's response to her unfortunate ACCIDENT, just as I applaud Adam Carter's courage in being totally transparent.

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My Blogs
To Spread The Facts World Wide To Give Others HOPE
I Have Been Fighting Cancer since 1997 & I'M STILL HERE!
I Have Cancer, Cancer Does NOT Have Me
I just want to say sorry for copping out at times and leaving Lee and friends to cope!
Any help and support YOU can give her will be hugely welcome.
I do make a lousy patient!
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If YOU want to follow my fight against Cancer from when it started and I first presented with symptoms see The TAB just below the Header of this Blog. called >DIARY of Cancer< just click and it will give you a long list of the main events in chronological order.
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Thoughts and comments will be in chronological order in the main blog and can be tracked in the >ARCHIVE< in the Right Sidebar. You may find the TABS >MEDICAL LINKS< and also >CANCER LINKS< of help.
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YOU are welcome to call me if you believe I can help in ANY way. .

Posted by: Greg Lance-Watkins
tel: 01594 - 528 337
on: http://GregLanceWatkins.Blogspot.com  
TWITTER: Greg_LW
Health/Cancer Blog: http://GregLW.blogspot.com  
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