Cancer-stricken grandmother with rare tumour in nose has life saved after surgeons printed 3D model of her face to work out how to remove mass – and now the 59-year-old is ‘living her best life’

A grandmother-of-five diagnosed with a rare cancerous nasal tumor had her life saved after surgeons 3D printed a model of her face.

Alison Hough, from Audley in Staffordshire, went to her GP with cold symptoms after returning from holiday in Tenerife, but was told she probably had a sinus infection.

The 59-year-old was devastated when further tests at Royal Stoke University Hospital revealed she had a rare form of cancer and was given just two weeks to live.

However, specialists were able to use an impression of her face to plan the removal of the tumor and reconstruction of some of her features after surgery.

The procedure was a success: Mrs. Hough was declared cancer-free. She said she is now “living her best life.”

Alison Hough (pictured before her diagnosis, left, and after surgery, right), from Audley in Staffordshire, went to her GP with cold symptoms after returning from holiday in Tenerife, but was told she probably had a sinus infection

Specialists were able to use an impression of her face (photo) to plan the removal of the tumor and reconstruction of some of her features after surgery.

Mrs Hough said: 'There is no gift I could ever give that would be enough to thank them.

“They gave me the opportunity to see my grandchildren, to see my daughter get married and be there.

'I'm living my best life. I don't feel like I have to do anything, go on holiday to Barbados or travel the world; I just enjoy my life as it is.'

The mother of three said her first signs of illness “just felt like I had a cold.”

She said: 'I thought it was the plane flight. Cancer never crossed my mind, I just assumed everything would be fine.

'When I got home it was a bit annoying and I ended up with a blocked nostril. I couldn't breathe properly. I felt exhausted while eating.

'I ate a small amount and felt tired. I went to my GP and he diagnosed me with sinusitis and gave me antibiotics and a nasal spray.'

Mrs Hough 'kept going back' to her GP when her condition did not improve.

She then suffered a posterior nosebleed – a bleed that occurs deep in your nose and causes heavy bleeding that can travel down the throat.

Her husband called 999 and paramedics told her to go back to her GP.

She says: 'Eventually I received a referral for a CT scan. I just went with things. I think subconsciously I knew it was something serious, but I just didn't let myself believe it.

The doctors saw a polyp growing in her nose and took a biopsy. Four days later, in 2016, doctors diagnosed her with adenocarcinoma of the nose.

The cancer that develops in the glands lining the nasal cavity. Surgery and radiotherapy are the usual treatments.

'It was complete devastation. I didn't feel angry, or “why me?” “I just felt terribly sad, hopeless and deflated,” Ms Hough said.

Surgeons discovered the tumor had spread to Ms Hough's brain cavity, making it difficult to operate.

The surgery would involve the entire craniofacial area, which is essential for breathing, movement, vision, hearing, smell and taste.

However, the Royal Stoke University Hospitalwhere Ms Hough received care had just introduced 3D printing.

The 3D model of her face (photo) helped doctors better understand the extent of the tumor and reconstruct its features after surgery

Mrs Hough (pictured before surgery) has been cancer free since 2018 and minor surgery on her lip is all she needs to complete her treatment

A short film was made to highlight her life-saving operation to raise money for the charity UHNM, which funds equipment for the hospital. She added: 'The work at UHNM has been absolutely amazing and I am so grateful for the care I have received'

This allowed surgeons to print a 3D model of her face, based on detailed scans, to better understand the extent of the tumor and help reconstruct her features after surgery.

Mrs Hough added: 'It gave me a renewed sense that I could survive. I was confident that I had been given the opportunity to have a chance.”

Daya Gahir, a head, neck and maxillofacial surgeon at the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM), said the operation was challenging but successful due to the level of planning the printing allowed them.

He said: 'The factor at that point was the size of the tumor in the brain.

'In many wards this would have been definitively considered inoperable and she would probably have received palliative treatment.

'But we were lucky that we had the latest technology at the time, namely 3D printing.

'We found it very useful. We could print a model of the face and see the size of the tumor.”

Ms Hough has been cancer-free since 2018 and minor surgery on her lip is all she needs to complete her treatment.

A short film was made to highlight her life-saving operation to raise money for the charity UHNM, which funds equipment for the hospital.

She added: 'Working at UHNM has been absolutely wonderful and I am so grateful for the care I have received.'