Claire Gerring, 42, had been referred to John Radcliffe Hospital with suspected endometriosis (Image: SWNS)
A woman’s suspected endometriosis turned out to be a cancer so rare it led to nine of her organs being removed during “the mother of all surgeries”. Claire Gerring, 42, had initially been referred to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford in November 2022 with suspected endometriosis.
She was put on a waiting list in May 2023 for an investigative laparoscopy, but after fierce pain on her right side, a positive FIT test led to a colonoscopy. Doctors then discovered her appendix was inverted while a CT scan showed Claire had malignant tissue on the organ and needed investigative surgery.
A biopsy on May 6 last year confirmed she had stage four Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (PMP) – a rare cancer which typically originates from a tumour in the appendix.
She was referred to Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital as it is one of only two hospitals which specialises in PMP. The cancer in her appendix had ruptured, meaning there were other nodules in the rest of her body.
A mum of two, Claire underwent a 10-hour operation to remove nine organs – her appendix, ovaries, fallopian tubes, gall bladder, spleen, uterus, and cervix, on July 15, 2025.
Her greater omentum, belly button, peritoneum lining and part of her bowel were also removed. Claire’s liver was also partially cut away. Her diaphragm was scraped and bladder stripped too.
During the surgery, Claire had HIPEC chemotherapy – heated chemotherapy circulated around her abdomen.
Claire underwent a 10-hour operation to remove nine organs (Image: SWNS)
After four and a half weeks in hospital, she was discharged and has been left with bowel problems, but has no evidence of disease at the moment. However, she will be monitored for the next 20 years.
Claire, a hairdresser, from Wantage, Oxfordshire, says: “I felt really quite scared and quite alone after my diagnosis. When you’ve got a rare cancer and it’s not something you’ve heard of before there’s not a lot of people to talk to about it.”
She added: “It’s quite scary but I’m lucky I had professionals who knew what they were doing. It’s called the mother of all surgeries because of the severity of it.”
A year into her recovery, Claire has thrown herself into fundraising for charity Pseudomyxoma Survivor, throwing a masked ball on July 11. Claire has raised £16,002 so far for the charity through Just Giving and other events.
She said: “I believe deeply that if you’re willing to take, you must also be willing to give back. And here I am today, standing in front of you, living that promise. “
Maddy Lomas, trustee at Pseudomyxoma Survivor, said: “As a charity, we are incredibly touched by the effort and generosity behind this fundraising event.
“What makes it even more special is that it has been organised by someone who knows first hand what it means to face a diagnosis of PMP.”
