Mum has groundbreaking hot chemotherapy wash poured into her body to kill cancer
When Mariella had surgery and chemotherapy to remove and treat her bowel cancer two years ago, she thought she would be out of the danger zone for a while.
But heartbreakingly, the cancer returned and now she faces a groundbreaking procedure at University Hospitals Birmingham, to kill any remaining cancer cells and prolong her life.
Mariella will first have the cancerous tumours removed before undergoing an extraordinary operation, where hot chemotherapy wash is poured into her body.
"I had surgery back in January 2020, and here we are back on this rollercoaster again. I didn't expect it to come back so quickly. I'm devastated, absolutely devastated," Mariella says.
Mariella undergoes a hot chemotherapy wash on Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death tonight (Paramount)On Channel 5's new series Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death tonight, Mariella undergoes the life-changing procedure under the care of specialist surgeons Mr Youssef and Mr Shariff. There is a sense of urgency for the surgical team, who need to identify and remove any lurking microscopic cancer cells to save Mariella.
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
Ahead of the operation, Mr Shariff explains to Mariella: "Today we need to have an important look around to make sure there's no other spots of disease, and then we'll remove your ovaries and any other visible spots of the disease. Following that, we'll give you the heated chemotherapy wash." Mr Youssef reassuringly adds: "We'll look after you."
Mariella "knows she is in good hands", but still cannot help but fear what will happen in surgery, as the operation does come with a risk to life. "I think the worst thing for me is thinking about my children and my husband. We are a very close family and that hurts me more than anything, to be honest," she says.
Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) - also known as hot chemotherapy wash - involves putting gently heated anti-cancer drugs into the patient's abdomen for around 60 to 90 minutes, before washing it out. The specialist and complex treatment is not widely available.
The University Hospitals Birmingham homes the country's most skilled doctors changing and saving lives (Paramount)As well as Mariella's story, this week's episode sees Pratyush preparing himself for surgery. A fast-growing tumour is pressing on his brain stem, threatening his hearing and making it difficult for him to walk. If surgeons don't operate soon, his tumour could potentially push him into a coma, before ultimately killing him.
It's a massive challenge for consultants, Mr Monkhouse and Mr Kay, who know that whilst the tumour is benign, its size makes it one of the biggest that they have encountered. The operation is complex as the pathway to the tumour site is very small and surrounded by a network of vital vessels. Removing the tumour without damaging anything will take incredible skill and one wrong move could cause a life-threatening cardiac arrest.
Across the hospital, over in the Major Trauma Centre, a 22-year-old male is rushed in, having suffered potentially life-changing stab wounds to both his hand and leg. Hurrying him through to surgery to try and preserve as much of the movement in both limbs as they possibly can, surgeons discover the injuries are more extensive than they thought. The race is on to try and avoid life-long pain or loss of movement for their young patient.
The University Hospitals Birmingham is a centre of excellence, with the country's most skilled doctors changing and saving lives every day. Each episode of the new docuseries follows surgeons and their patients minute by minute to split-second decision-making in a fight against the constant risk to life.
Surgeons: A Matter of Life or Death airs tonight, Thursday, August 3, on Channel 5 at 9pm.
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