BBC journalist Kate Williams unveils rare cancer diagnosis



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Kate Williams

Kate Williams, a BBC reader, revealed that she was suffering from a rare form of cancer.

Williams, who works for BBC Radio 5 Live, said she was diagnosed with peritoneal cystic mesothelioma in 2017.

After surgery later that year, she stated that her first annual exam showed no signs of illness, although there was a risk of re-offending.

She confided to the podcast You, Me and The Big C of 5 Live that she was only aware of three other people in the UK with cancer, which affects the abdominal cavity.

The abdominal cavity is the large space of the body bounded by the abdominal walls, the diaphragm and the pelvis.

Williams, married with two children, said, "If you look at medical literature, she often quotes 153 cases around the world.

"And in the UK, I know three other people, mostly through a Facebook group that I joined.

"If you look at mesothelioma, it's not nice to look in. It's very aggressive, clever, often caused by asbestos."

Having a rare disease was "really lonely," she said.

"It's also very traumatic, because every time [I see a new doctor] I have to explain it, "she added.

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Describing her surgical procedure, she said: "It's called MOAS – the mother of all surgeries.

"They removed the cervix from the uterus, the uterus, the fallopian tubes, the ovaries, the big omentum, the small omentum, the pelvic peritoneum, another piece of my peritoneum."

She added, "I do not stop saying that I'm lucky or that it was not too serious." My operation lasted only six hours.

"People say" oh six o'clock, "but some patients who have it, it's 12 to 14 hours."

Williams said she still had problems with bowels and belly as well as bones weakened after surgery and that she would continue to undergo annual tests in the foreseeable future – although her first badysis in November did not shows no signs of illness.

"They never say that you are all clear.Because we are so few to have it, statistics show that you can have up to 70% recidivism," she said.

Many people offered their support on social media, including former Live presenter Shelagh Fogarty, who tweeted Williams said that she was sending him "tons of love" after what she had been through.

You, Me and The Big C – a podcast on life with cancer – was co-hosted by BBC presenter, Rachael Bland, who died of cancer last year.

She presented the podcast with Lauren Mahon and Deborah James, also with cancer. They vowed to continue doing the podcast after his death.

Listen to Kate Williams' full interview on BBC Sounds right here.

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