The photo was taken outside Frankfurt University hospital on November 21st having received the wonderful news I have had a 30% reduction in my liver tumours. This is unbelievable as until now no treatment has worked on my liver tumours. Please help me to fund further TACE treatments to finally get rid of all the life threatening cancer in my liver.

Why I need help

Now I have finally found something that is working on my liver tumours I need help to continue with these treatments. At my 2nd TACE on November 21st 2024 I received the amazing news that my response to the first TACE had exceeded expectations. We could see for ourselves on screen how the larger tumours were visibly smaller. This is so exciting, and based on this great response, Professor Vogl now hopes that one or two more TACE will downsize the tumours enough to then burn off the remainder with ablation. This could be life saving, and at the very least will gain me more precious time with my family. My next TACE is booked for December 19th but unfortunately I am short of funds so, if you can, I would be so grateful for your help to continue.

My story

I am Caroline Searle Swail, 56 year old mother of two wonderful sons. I am from West Sussex UK, now living in Italy where I was working as a secondary school teacher, currently on long term sick leave. I was diagnosed with ER+ primary breast cancer in July 2019. After surgery it was found to have already spread to many lymph nodes and was Stage 3 which meant 6 months of chemotherapy and 25 rounds of radiotherapy, followed by ongoing hormonal therapy try to prevent a recurrence. Unfortunately the cancer came roaring back in September 2022, now Stage 4 metastatic cancer in my bones, with multiple tumours throughout my spine, pelvis, ribs, shoulders and femur.

My cancer seems to be unusually clever/sneaky and refuses to respond to treatments that should work for me. My 1st systemic targeted treatment failed and in April 2023 it had now spread to my liver. My 2nd and 3rd line treatments also failed. I am now out of options for targeted treatments and am on my 4th line, an oral chemotherapy.

Feeling increasingly unwell and afraid of yet another failed treatment on this vital organ led me to consult with a world leading interventional radiologist in Frankfurt, Germany who has had great success with patients like me. His advanced MRI revealed the very scary reality that I now had over one hundred tumours in my liver alone. It was time for drastic action. Two days later on October 11th I underwent my first TACE intervention. TACE is Trans Arterial Chemo Embolization. The chemotherapy drugs are delivered directly to the liver via the arteries and then sealed in, to maximise the tumour killing impact where it is most needed. This can increase the impact of the chemo drugs x100 with less damage to the rest of the body than intravenous chemotherapy. The TACE does cause me severe liver pain and vomiting, with a week of bed rest to recover, but knowing it’s working makes it all worthwhile. If these treatments succeed, I will still have cancer in my bones which is painful but I can live with this, my priority is the liver as this is a vital organ which is life threatening. Sadly TACE is not available to me in either Italy or UK.

How you can help

Each TACE costs €3,900 (ablation is €4,200) plus travel and accommodation expenses for myself and my husband Rod to get from our home near Lucca, Italy to Frankfurt, Germany. To keep costs down we travel by overnight Flixbus. We expect two or three further treatments are needed, depending on response. Any donation no matter how small will be very gratefully received, even the price of a tram ticket is a help. You can also help by sharing this on social media or with any friends and family who might be interested to help a stage 4 cancer patient directly, knowing exactly how the money will be used. Many thanks.