A former Royal Navy pilot with a tumour stretching from his jaw to his heart is now cancer-free after a pioneering 12-hour procedure saved his life.
Rich Sutton, 53, was diagnosed 12 years ago with epithelioid fibrosarcoma – a rare and usually fatal cancer that begins in the bone but can spread anywhere, making it difficult to treat.
The father-of-two, who spent decades flying helicopters in Northern Ireland, Afghanistan and Iraq, is among hundreds of Armed Forces personnel who say their rare and deadly cancers have been caused by exposure to toxic exhaust fumes during their years of service.
In his case it started in his neck and spread throughout his body. Despite eight bouts of surgery over ten years, Rich’s cancer continued to return – with one tumour growing so large it left him gasping for breath as it crushed his windpipe.
Surgeons at three hospitals told Rich that the growth was inoperable due to its size and proximity to a major blood vessel carrying blood to his brain. He was given less than a year to live and prepared to say goodbye to his children Tom, 28, and Emma, 25.
Rich Sutton, 53, was diagnosed 12 years ago with epithelioid fibrosarcoma – a rare and usually fatal cancer that begins in the bone but can spread anywhere, making it difficult to treat
But in a marathon operation last year, a team of surgeons managed to remove the tumour entirely.
Rich, who lives in Cardiff, is now recovering at home and can breathe normally again.
His extraordinary story will be among those featured in the new series of Channel 4’s Super Surgeons: A Chance At Life. The four-part documentary follows patients at leading cancer hospital the Royal Marsden, in London, as they undergo complex and often life-threatening operations.
‘I had been told three times that I had reached the end of the road, so I went to London with a one per cent expectation that anything could be done,’ says Rich. ‘I just wanted to be able to look my children in the eyes and say, after 12 years, radiotherapy, chemo and eight previous surgeries, that I had truly exhausted all options.’
Rich believes his cancer is due to unwittingly inhaling aviation fuel exhaust while serving as a Naval pilot.
‘The Sea King aircraft I used to fly burns aviation fuel, which produces all sorts of chemicals that would come in through the cargo door,’ he explained. ‘[It] turned out to have been an issue that was known about for some time.
‘So the irony of me having the career of my dreams is that it may be the cause of my cancer.’
In dozens of ongoing lawsuits, former RAF and Navy pilots – including Prince William’s former trainer Zach Stubbings – have accused the Ministry of Defence of failing to protect aircrew from carcinogenic emissions from military helicopters, some of which are still in service. They have been diagnosed with cancers such as non-Hodgkin lymphoma, multiple myeloma, throat cancer, lung cancer and testicular cancer.
It was 2011 when Rich noticed a lump in the roof of his mouth, which was surgically removed. Although doctors told him it was a one-off benign tumour, another egg-sized growth appeared at the base of his skull four years later.
The father-of-two, who spent decades flying helicopters in Northern Ireland , Afghanistan and Iraq , is among hundreds of Armed Forces personnel who say their rare and deadly cancers have been caused by exposure to toxic exhaust fumes during their years of service
That same year, Rich was diagnosed with epithelioid fibrosarcoma. Operations over nine years removed tumours as they appeared in his spine, lungs and throat.
But the cancer returned, and when he went to doctors with a suspected tumour in his neck in 2021, Rich was told that, this time, nothing could be done.
By the time Rich was referred to Professor Vin Paleri, consultant head and neck surgeon at The Royal Marsden, the tumour had caused the lining of his carotid artery – through which blood flows to the brain – to grow paper thin. His windpipe had also been pushed to the other side of his neck, which meant he struggled to breathe at all times.
But to Rich’s amazement, Dr Paleri offered him one final chance at survival. ‘It was a very complex surgery,’ the surgeon said.
Rich was warned he could be left with swallowing and voice problems, and could even be at risk of having a stroke or dying during the operation itself. To ensure that Rich continued to get blood to his brain during the surgery, Dr Paleri had to avoid the artery while cutting away the tumour that encircled it. The tumour’s size required his chest to be split open.
After a mammoth 12 hours in the operating theatre, the growth was removed in its entirety.
But the procedure had taken its toll, and within hours Rich had a stroke.
However, after nine months of rehabilitation, he is still cancer-free. He has begun driving again and hopes soon to get back on his motorbike, one of his passions.
‘Recovery has been a long hard slog but my family and friends have been amazing,’ says Rich. ‘I hope my determination to survive has repaid their love.’
Experts say Rich’s procedure could helping patients with similar tumours.
‘I have red lines where I can’t and won’t operate,’ says Dr Paleri, ‘and with every complex surgery that I do, those red lines get pushed more and more.
‘Accomplishing this kind of surgery gives us more confidence to tackle such tumours. I hope it also encourages patients to get another opinion about their medical care if their treatment centre says they can’t do anything.’
Other inspiring stories featured on Super Surgeons include 18-year-old Anthea – an aspiring midwife with a tumour in her arm so difficult to remove that doctors say they may need to amputate, and fitness fanatic Jonathan, 48, who had no symptoms before being diagnosed with a rare melanoma, and now needs surgery to remove a tumour between his oesophagus and heart.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘We continually review our policies to ensure they are aligned with good practice and protect our people from harm.
‘Service personnel and veterans who believe they have suffered ill health have the right to apply for compensation under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.’
Super Surgeons: A Chance At Life begins on Tuesday at 9pm on Channel 4.
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