The Hepatobiliary Team at Hampshire Hospitals celebrated a major milestone having undertaken 4,000 liver resections.
This life-saving procedure for patients suffering with liver cancer is carried out by highly trained specialists led by pioneering liver cancer surgeon, Merv Rees OBE.
Through the work of the Hepatobiliary Team, Hampshire Hospitals has become an internationally recognised centre for treating liver cancer and is among one of the UK’s leading providers of treatment, with patients coming from as far away as Colchester and Bath.
Says Mr Rees: “We have achieved such a lot as a team; from our admin staff through to specialist nurses, radiologists, anaesthetists, and five extremely talented surgeons, all of whom are focussed on delivering the very best in care.
“It is a privilege to be given the gift of being able to help patients.
“Cancer is tough and while we cannot guarantee a cure, we absolutely guarantee that we shall do our very best.”
The four-hour operation involves removing part of a liver affected with cancer nodules. For many, this form of cancer is secondary, with the primary source often being in the bowel. The procedure is frequently carried out following pre-emptive chemotherapy.
Mr Rees joined Hampshire Hospitals 37 years ago and has worked for the NHS for 51 years. Recently, he witnessed a medical student watching an operation being undertaken by a surgeon he had trained; says Mr Rees: “I felt very proud and reassured that patients will continue to benefit from this highly technical work which I began in the 1980s.”
“At the time there was considerable scepticism about liver resections but as we continue to see it can drastically increase survival rates for patients.”
“I was extremely touched recently to receive a phone call from the family of a patient I treated twenty years ago. Although I removed around half of her liver, she eventually made it to 96 and they were so grateful for all those years spent together.”
The team at Hampshire Hospitals undertakes up to 180 liver resections a year with patients able to return home just four days later.
Speaking about the milestone, Alex Whitfield, CEO of Hampshire Hospitals said: “The skill, innovation and dedication shown by Mr Rees and his team are a source of enormous pride to all of us at Hampshire Hospitals.
“Through their internationally respected work, they are making an enormous difference to people around the UK.
“My congratulations to them on this milestone; it is an achievement that will have made a tremendous difference to so many people”.
Ends
Notes to editors
- Mr Rees is a Fellow of The Royal College of Surgeons and a Fellow of The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Ad Hominem.
- He was awarded the OBE in in 2020 as part of the Queens New Years Honours in recognition of his services to his services to liver cancer surgery.
- At Hampshire Hospitals, Mr Rees established the Ark Cancer Charity with an on-site facility that provides valuable wellbeing support to cancer patients; in 2023 the charity was awarded ‘Health & Wellbeing Charity of the Year’ at the Greenham Trust awards.
- More information about the Hepatobiliary Team can be found here.
