Woman, 100, from Hyde beats breast cancer Published duration 31 August 2011

A 100-year-old woman has been told she is free of breast cancer after having surgery in Greater Manchester.

Dorothy Affleck, from Hyde, was 99-and-a-half when she had a lump removed from her breast at Tameside Hospital in August 2010.

The former dancer, who celebrated her centenary in March, has now been told by her consultant she is in remission.

Doctors at the hospital believe Mrs Affleck is the oldest person in the UK to undergo surgery for the disease.

The great great grandmother was diagnosed with the disease last summer.

Age 'not a factor'

Her consultant, Pardeep Arora, said he felt surgery was her only option as the cancer was so aggressive.

Soon afterwards she had a lump removed, but rather than be operated on under a general anaesthetic she was given a local because of her age.

Mrs Affleck said: "When I was told 'you've got cancer', I couldn't believe it.

"I had had cancer before, I had a hysterectomy, a four-in-one operation for cancer. That was when I was 80.

"So to find out that I had it again, it was devastating, because they said that they wouldn't operate at 100.

image caption Mr Arora said he felt surgery was the only option

"I thought I'd just get probably months of suffering and I was frightened, until I met Mr Arora, and he was so confident that he could do the operation.

"People said, 'don't have it, don't have it', but I had such confidence in him."

She said her case proved age need not stop people from having treatment.

"When I could go ahead with it and have it at 99, I don't think it is a barrier," she said.

"I should advise anybody if the surgeon says they can do it, I say they should have it."

Mr Arora, consultant breast oncoplastic and general surgeon at Tameside Hospital, said Mrs Affleck's age was never a factor on deciding what treatment she should receive.

"It was never on my mind," he said. "In fact when I presented the case in our meeting, I only said physiologically she is as good as anyone would be in their late 70s."

He added: "Mrs Affleck is a wonderful and inspiring woman and I am personally very pleased that we achieved the best possible outcome.

"Here at Tameside Hospital we have a very patient-focussed approach.

"Every patient is treated with utmost dignity and respect. Their views and values are considered at all stages of treatment."

Mrs Affleck was told on Wednesday that she was free of cancer, but technically she cannot be given the all-clear for four more years.

She said she was "elated" at the news.