Liver Cancer Treatment in India for UK Patients: Marie’s Journey So Far
After a difficult journey through the NHS, Marie’s family began looking beyond the UK for answers. Here’s how care in India has given them new hope and a possible path forward in her liver cancer treatment. Support Marie’s journey by donating to her GoFundMe.
Published on 31 August 20268m
Dr Sukalpa Rathore
Medical content writer with dental expertise (BDS, MSc in F. Odont.), focused on cross-border healthcare.
At 79, Marie Stibbe had every reason to look forward to more time with her family.
A mother of three and grandmother from Tiverton, Devon, Marie had waited 40 years to meet her first grandchild. Today, her grandson Liam is two years old, and her family is fighting for the chance to give her more time with him.
Earlier this year, Marie was diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a form of primary liver cancer.
What followed was a rapidly changing diagnosis, months of uncertainty, and a deterioration in her health that left her family searching for another way forward.
Now, Marie and her daughter Rachael are exploring liver cancer treatment in India, with her case being reviewed by Indian specialists and a treatment plan being explored.
This is her journey so far.
Understanding Marie’s Liver Cancer Diagnosis
Marie first became unwell in February 2026.
According to her daughter, she was experiencing severe itching in her legs that made it difficult to sleep. Blood tests also showed that she had suddenly developed diabetes.
The family's account is that initial investigations led doctors to suspect ovarian cancer, and Marie was referred to gynaecology.
It was not until March that further investigations established that she actually had hepatocellular carcinoma.
At the time, Rachael says the tumour was approximately 7cm and Marie's liver was still compensated, meaning it was still functioning relatively well despite the cancer.
For the family, there was still hope.
They believed treatment could begin and that Marie could have years ahead of her.
Instead, the months that followed would change the picture dramatically.
Three Months of Waiting for Liver Cancer Treatment
Marie did not receive her first immunotherapy treatment until the beginning of June, according to her family.
That meant around three months had passed since her liver cancer diagnosis.
During that period, Rachael began looking for another medical opinion.
In April, she sought advice from a liver surgeon at King's College Hospital in London. According to the family, the specialist recommended urgent imaging and combination systemic treatment, including immunotherapy, and believed that starting treatment promptly could give Marie many more years.
An MRI was also recommended.
When the family says this could not be arranged through the NHS pathway, Rachael paid for the scan privately in May.
The results were devastating.
The tumour that had measured around 7cm at diagnosis had grown to approximately 14.9cm.
Marie’s liver had also progressed from compensated to decompensated. The scan reportedly showed an enlarged spleen and a collapsed gallbladder.
The family says they were increasingly concerned that the opportunity to treat Marie earlier had been lost.
When the Diagnosis Changed Everything
For Marie, the deterioration was not just visible on scans.
Her family says she was also experiencing significant fluid retention, including extremely swollen legs and persistent itching. They say they repeatedly asked whether the fluid could be drained after medication had not adequately controlled the symptoms.
According to Rachael, the family was told that managing these symptoms was a GP responsibility.
The family also describes difficulties obtaining answers about Marie's changing liver function and treatment options.
In early June, Marie received one session of immunotherapy.
Her family says treatment was subsequently withdrawn after they were told that her liver function had deteriorated significantly.
Rachael says the family asked whether the decline could be investigated and whether it might be possible to restart treatment if her liver function improved.
They say they were eventually told that there were no further treatment options available through the pathway they were on.
According to the family's account, one doctor told Marie that she should "enjoy the life you have left" and gave her a prognosis of six to 12 months.
As reported by The Daily Mail, “she had been sent home with paracetamol.”
The family's account of her treatment and the concerns they have raised have been covered by UK media. The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has since responded to the family’s complaint, but did not uphold the concerns raised. Rachael continues to stand by the family’s account of Marie’s care and the delays they experienced.
Looking Beyond the UK for Treatment
For Rachael, the situation had become impossible to accept.
She had watched her mother's tumour grow from approximately 7cm to almost 15cm. She had sought additional medical opinions, paid privately for investigations and continued looking for answers about what could still be done.
So the family began looking at liver cancer treatment abroad.
India became one of the options they explored.
For international patients, liver cancer treatment in India can provide access to experienced liver surgeons, oncologists and multidisciplinary teams involved in complex liver disease and cancer care.
But for a patient like Marie, choosing a country is only the beginning.
The priority is finding specialists who can review the complete clinical picture, including the tumour, liver function, previous treatment and overall health, and determine what options, if any, may be appropriate.
That is where Marie's journey has reached its next stage.
Exploring Liver Cancer Treatment in India
Marie’s case is now being explored with specialists in India through The Medical Travel Company (TMTC).
One of the specialists involved in the review is Dr Arvinder Singh Soin, a leading liver transplant and hepatobiliary surgeon and Chairman of the Institute of Liver Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine at Medanta. He has extensive experience in complex liver surgery, liver transplantation and hepatobiliary conditions and has performed thousands of liver and complex hepatobiliary procedures.
He was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honours, in recognition of his contribution to medicine.
His experience in complex liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma makes specialist review particularly relevant in a case as complicated as Marie's.
Marie has undergone a PET scan as part of her assessment in India. According to Rachael, the scan found no evidence that the cancer had spread beyond the liver, despite the tumour now affecting much of the right side and additional tumours on the left.
Based on these findings, Dr Soin considers Marie a potential candidate for liver transplantation following appropriate treatment.
This represents a significant difference from the assessment the family says they received through the NHS, where Marie had been told that there were no further treatment options available and had been given a 6-to-12-month prognosis.
Dr Soin’s proposed treatment pathway currently involves TARE (transarterial radioembolisation), a targeted liver-directed treatment intended to treat the tumours before reassessing Marie for transplantation.
But at this stage, the focus is not on promising a particular procedure or outcome.
It is on understanding Marie's condition today and determining what treatment may give her the best possible chance.
For Marie and her family, the PET scan has provided something they had been desperately looking for: a reason to hope.
A Family Holding on to Hope
Behind the medical reports and scan results is a family trying to hold on to something much more personal.
Marie is described by Rachael as the backbone of the family.
She has been married for 56 years. She is a mother, a grandmother and someone her family says has always put others before herself.
She waited 40 years to become a grandmother.
Then came Liam.
He is now two years old.
He loves his grandmother, but he is too young to understand why she is ill or why his family is fighting so hard to find another option.
For Rachael, that is one of the most painful parts of the situation.
She has spoken about her fear that Liam may grow up without his grandmother.
It is this fear that has pushed the family to keep searching.
Not for a guarantee.
Not for an easy answer.
But for another opinion, another possibility and, hopefully, more time.
Raising Funds for Marie's Treatment
Seeking specialist treatment abroad brings another challenge: cost.
Marie’s family launched a GoFundMe campaign with an initial target of £100,000, which has since been revised to £80,000 based on Medanta’s treatment estimate. The funds will help cover her treatment in India, along with accommodation, travel and other expenses associated with her care.
For the family, however, the fundraiser represents more than a medical bill.
It represents time.
Time for Marie to be with her husband.
Time for her children to have their mother.
And time for a two-year-old boy to know his grandmother.
Rachael is asking for help to give her mother – the backbone of their family – another chance to explore treatment.
If you would like to support Marie and her family, you can read Rachael's full story and contribute to their GoFundMe campaign.
Marie's Journey Is Still Unfolding
Marie’s case is currently being explored with specialists in India, and her family is working through the next steps to understand what treatment options may be available.
There are no easy answers in a case as complex as hers.
Advanced liver cancer, changes in liver function and previous treatment all need to be carefully considered before any further treatment can be recommended.
But after months of uncertainty, Marie and her family are continuing to look forward.
For now, they are taking the journey one step at a time.
And for the first time in months, they have something they had been desperately hoping for: another possible path forward.
Her husband of fifty years, Alan, says, “We don’t know if the treatment will work, but at least we have hope”
A Note on Marie's Story
Marie’s treatment journey is ongoing. This article is based on information shared by her family and reported by UK media at the time of publication. Claims relating to her NHS care are attributed to her family and are being investigated by the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
Treatment options and suitability for treatment in India are assessed individually by the treating medical team following a review of the patient's medical history, investigations and current clinical condition. No specific treatment outcome is guaranteed.
References
- The Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.com/health/article-15977443/Grandmother-paracetamol-liver-cancer-tumour-nhs-failure.html?ico=authors_pagination_desktop
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