Nurse previously given months to live now cancer-free after groundbreaking operation at hospital

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Caroline Ainslie has already booked a ski holiday for next year

A former nurse who was told her cancer was inoperable has been declared free of the disease following a pioneering chemotherapy treatment.

Caroline Ainslie, 60, from Southampton, was diagnosed with stage-four ovarian cancer in March after the disease had already spread to her liver, lungs and other parts of her body.

Despite the severity of her diagnosis, she responded well to initial chemotherapy.

She went on to become one of the first ovarian cancer patients at University Hospital Southampton to undergo hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy, known as HIPEC.

Her consultant has since confirmed she is tumour free and is expected to make a full recovery.

Speaking about her diagnosis, Ms Ainslie said the news left her feeling "completely and utterly shocked and devastated".

She said: "I had cancer in my ovary, it was also in my liver and in my lung, so I felt completely and utterly shocked and devastated because I had cancer pretty much everywhere.

"I just thought that was it, I was going to die, and I didn't have very much life left. I thought I would be dead within a year — it was devastating, absolutely devastating."

Following a strong response to an initial round of chemotherapy, her consultant, David Constable-Phelps, recommended she undergo the pioneering HIPEC procedure.

The treatment involves circulating heated chemotherapy inside the body once cancerous tumours have been surgically removed.

Mr Constable-Phelps, a consultant gynaecologist and gynaecological oncology surgeon, explained: "HIPEC is essentially us putting chemotherapy into a carrier solution inside the abdomen.

"Once we've finished the operation and once we've achieved complete clearance of the disease, that solution is heated to 42C and we circulate that for 90 minutes using a HIPEC machine."

He added the process helps "mop up any cancer cells that might remain that are microscopic that of course we can't see with the naked eye".

The procedure was complex, with the operation lasting 12 hours, but ultimately proved highly successful.

Mr Constable-Phelps said: "It's fantastic. She is currently tumour free.

"I would expect her to fully recover from the operation and have no life-limiting symptoms from the surgery or the chemotherapy and she should go on and lead her life as normal."

Ms Ainslie, who previously worked at the hospital as divisional head of nursing, said she remains "absolutely delighted" to be cancer free.

She said: "It's surreal really because I never would have imagined that I would be in this position, and I'm incredibly grateful to the people who have operated on me and cared for me."

Ovarian cancer is often described as a "silent killer" as early symptoms can be vague and easily mistaken for common digestive or menstrual problems.

Key warning signs include persistent bloating, pelvic or abdominal pain, feeling full quickly and a frequent or urgent need to urinate.

It remains the sixth most common cancer among women in the UK, with around 7,500 new diagnoses each year.

Roughly two-thirds of cases are diagnosed at a late stage, when treatment options become more limited, with the disease claiming more than 4,000 lives annually in the UK.

University Hospital Southampton has become a national leader in HIPEC treatment since launching the service in 2022, recently completing its 50th procedure across a range of cancer types.

Ms Ainslie said she hopes her story offers hope to others facing a cancer diagnosis.

She said: "Hopefully my story inspires other people to realise that actually having a cancer diagnosis does not mean the end of your life. It certainly changes it, but there is a great deal of hope in the future because of the advances in treatments."

She is now recovering from surgery and will undergo two further rounds of chemotherapy as part of her ongoing care.

To mark being told she is cancer-free, Ms Ainslie has already booked a ski holiday for next year.

The introduction of HIPEC at the hospital was made possible through funding from Hampshire-based charity Planets Cancer Charity.

Neil Pearce, chairman of Planets and a retired consultant liver and pancreatic surgeon, said the charity was "extremely proud" to have funded the treatment, adding that Ms Ainslie's story shows the impact such support can have in "saving and transforming lives".