A man from Old Trafford who lost all feeling from the waist down just 12 hours after being sent home from A&E with suspected sciatica has spoken about how an earlier diagnosis could have changed his life.
Paul King, 56, had been experiencing severe back pain for months before a scan revealed cancer on his spine and lungs. The cancer had spread from his prostate and was pressing on his spinal cord, causing him to lose all sensation below his waist.
He was given less than a year to live at the time, but more than three years on, he is living with stage four cancer that is being managed with treatment. He believes earlier access to diagnostic scanning could have made a huge difference to his outcome.
From Back Pain to Emergency Diagnosis
Paul's symptoms began in 2022, when he started experiencing what he described as "extreme and odd" episodes of back pain. At times, he could walk for a couple of days before becoming unable to walk for several more. Despite being prescribed strong painkillers, he struggled to get answers about the cause of the pain.
"It literally just got worse, worse, and worse. I was chasing my doctors for a diagnosis and getting absolutely nowhere," he said.
By July 2023, the pain had become unbearable and his left leg was no longer working properly. He visited A&E but was sent home with doctors suspecting sciatica, a diagnosis he did not believe explained his symptoms. Within 12 hours, he had lost all feeling and control from the waist down.
Emergency Surgery and Treatment
When he later tried to stand, he fell to the floor and lost consciousness. He was taken by ambulance to another hospital, where an MRI scan was carried out. He was told immediately that it was cancer.
He was then told he needed urgent surgery to decompress his spine, with a 50 per cent chance of surviving the operation and the possibility that he might never walk again. "If I hadn't gone in that scan at that time, I would be dead," he said.
During the operation, his back was stabilised with titanium and pins. Some feeling returned to his right leg, but he continues to experience reduced sensation in his left leg, as well as lasting nerve damage and pain.
Further scans revealed the cancer had spread from his prostate to his spine, both lungs and adrenal glands, as well as an area of concern on the liver. He was then seen by experts at The Christie and given radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy.
Living with Stage Four Cancer
Paul said he was initially told he had less than a year to live, then one to two years, and later one to three years if he took all the drugs available. He is now just over three years on, thanks to research and drugs that are not yet NICE approved.
"Thanks to Christie and the very dedicated teams there, I'm still alive," he added.
He is living with significant side effects of his medication, including fatigue, hot flushes, bone pain and reduced mobility, as well as the lasting effects of the spinal cord compression. He believes the ability to access scans quickly is crucial, both to diagnosing cancer and to helping patients receive appropriate treatment.
"If I personally had been scanned earlier, they might have been able to act quicker. I may not have lost feeling from the waist down. I may not be as bad as I am now," he said.
Art as a New Outlet
Paul has found an unexpected love of painting through the art room at The Christie. He described it as "a whole new outlet" that took his mind off everything else. He has since set up a studio at home and has showcased his work in a number of exhibitions.
The Christie Charity has now launched a £42.5m appeal to create a new scanning centre at the Manchester cancer hospital, which the charity says will increase scanning capacity and provide a better environment for patients. The centre is due to be ready in 2030.
"This service is going to save lives, not one or two lives, but many lives," Paul said. "It's also going to save some of the anxiety that patients get. It's going to help patients get more appropriate treatment quickly."
