A GRANDAD diagnosed with a rare form of cancer says he has been given a new lease of life after receiving pioneering treatment unavailable on the NHS.

Arthur Littlefair, 67, has lived with a small tumour, a rare adenoidal cystic carcinoma, hidden near his eye for a decade.

The retired builders’ merchant, from Kirkby Stephen, has undergone several operations and two courses of uncomfortable radiotherapy to try to keep the tumour in check, but it returned earlier this year.

Faced with the prospect of more debilitating traditional radiotherapy treatment, he decided to fly to Prague, Czech Republic, for state-of-the-art proton beam therapy which is not yet available in the UK.

The treatment cost around £62,000 and was covered by his medical insurance.

“From my perspective it was a simple, easy and well supported process," said the dad-of-three. "I experienced mild discomfort but enjoyed eating normally and, after my short daily treatment, could spend the rest of the day exploring Prague.

“We won’t have the effects of the treatment confirmed clinically for some months yet. The tumour won’t disappear overnight. It’s an ongoing process but hopefully now it will steadily decay away.

“If Prague’s Proton Therapy Center had been available when my tumour was first discovered it may have been the only treatment I needed.

“Like others I came away feeling like I wanted to encourage wider access to the therapy for everyone for whom it is appropriate.”

Mr Littlefair said problems first surfaced 11 years ago with a discomfort next to his right eye.

He was referred to a specialist and it turned out to be a little tumour, which was removed. He was then referred for a specialist course of low dose proton therapy which he said 'was good but, in my case, just didn’t quite finish the job'.

“A six week course of traditional radiotherapy followed and it left me with a lot of discomfort, especially, in my case, with mucositis which causes mouth sores and difficulty with swallowing," he added.

“After a couple of weeks I was so uncomfortable that I couldn’t eat or drink. It was all I could do to make sure I had a couple of bottles of nutrients each day. It sapped energy and was very tiring.

"After my treatment I would often simply just sit down and sleep. This went on for weeks.

“Nevertheless the treatment held the tumour in check for five years until it’s return was detected.

"Fortunately it was very slow growing so urgent treatment was not necessary. There was time to consider the best options.”

As well as the potential discomfort of further traditional radiotherapy, Arthur was also concerned about the longer-term impact it could have on other areas of his head.

Traditional radiotherapy treatment damages healthy tissue in front of and behind the tumour as they travel through the body.

This means that while it attacks cancerous cells, it also damages normal healthy tissue in its path.

Modern proton beam therapy can precisely pin-point the target, significantly reducing the damage done to surrounding tissue and creating fewer side effects.

Two new proton therapy centres are currently being built by the NHS, but they are not expected to become operational for at least another year.

Over the course of seven weeks Arthur underwent 35 fractions of proton therapy in Prague, returning a fortnight ago.

Dr Jiri Kubes, medical director of the state-of-the-art clinic said: “One of the biggest benefits of proton therapy is that the vast majority of the energy is delivered directly into the tumour, preserving healthy tissue in front of the tumour and preventing damage to tissue behind it.

“For people like Arthur with tumours in sensitive areas this is particularly important.

“While proton therapy is not suitable for all types of cancer, it can be used to treat a wide range of cancers, including cancers of the prostate, brain, head, neck and orofacial tumours, and cancer in the lungs, breasts, liver and pancreas.”