{"id":27353,"date":"2025-06-30T14:41:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T14:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/27353\/"},"modified":"2025-06-30T14:41:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T14:41:12","slug":"man-suffers-infection-that-affects-us-all-it-was-actually-killer-cancer-that-cost-him-his-nose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/27353\/","title":{"rendered":"Man suffers ‘infection’ that affects us all – it was actually killer cancer that cost him his NOSE"},"content":{"rendered":"

A man whose GP said his breathing issues were due to a\u00a0routine infection has now lost his entire nose to the real cause, a deadly form of cancer<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

William Brogan, 47,\u00a0from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire now faces major surgery to restore his face after medics were forced to amputate his nose.<\/p>\n

The only initial symptom the former chef had was a sore nose\u2014an ailment common to a variety of routine winter illnesses.<\/p>\n

But after almost a year of doctors trying to relieve Mr Brogan’s illness with antibiotics, the real devastating cause was revealed to be the blood cancer lymphoma.<\/p>\n

Lymphoma is a cancer of the\u00a0lymphatic system\u2014a network of blood vessels and glands helps fight off infections\u2014 and which kills about 5,000 Britons per year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In Mr Brogan’s case, the disease originated in part of the lymphatic system in his nose, but by the time it was diagnosed in January this year, it had also spread into his mouth.<\/p>\n

He claims doctors dismissed his worries about the ongoing nose pain and believes his cancer could have been caught earlier.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘I had been telling them for months and months that it was something more. You know your own body,’ he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"William <\/p>\n

William Brogan, 47, from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire now faces major surgery to restore his face after medics were forced to amputate his nose\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"After <\/p>\n

After almost a year of doctors trying to relieve Mr Brogan’s illness with antibiotics, the real devastating cause was revealed to be a form of cancer. Mr Brogan pictured here in 2013<\/p>\n

‘The antibiotics were helping at first but when I asked for more help I had to wait for an appointment. It got worse in that time waiting.<\/p>\n

‘It took them over a year to get a biopsy and find it was cancer.<\/p>\n

‘They could have caught this nine months earlier before it travelled into my mouth.<\/p>\n

‘Now I’ve got a hole in my face and a triangle where they removed part of my nose.’<\/p>\n

After finally being diagnosed Mr Brogan had to undergo a marathon 20-hour operation to remove the cancer earlier this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This sadly meant he had to have his nose as well as the upper gums of his mouth removed.<\/p>\n

While medics attempted to rebuild the gum with healthy tissue taken from under his arm, this unfortunately proved unsuccessful.<\/p>\n

This meant he needed another five-hour operation to remove the failed transplant, before another 12-hour surgery for another transplant to rebuild his upper mouth which did prove successful.<\/p>\n

\"Mr <\/p>\n

Mr Brogan claims doctors dismissed his worries about his ongoing nose pain and that he believes his cancer could have been caught earlier<\/p>\n

\"Mr <\/p>\n

Mr Brogan, pictured here before he lost his nose with his daughter Angel, hopes surgeons will be able to restore his face in the near future<\/p>\n

He has since been undergoing\u00a0radiotherapy\u2014where powerful radiation is used in an attempt to kill cancer cells\u2014 before medics attempt to rebuild his nose.<\/p>\n

Mr Brogan said losing his nose, and the extreme change to his appearance this had brought, had taken a huge mental toll on him and he was now on medication to help.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘Diazepane, used to relieve symptoms of anxiety, is the thing that gives me the courage to go out,’ he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘People say “there’s that man with the hole in his face”.’<\/p>\n

But he added he’s hopeful for the future.<\/p>\n

He said specialist surgeons having looked at photos of him prior to the amputation to ensure they can make him a nose that matches his previous appearance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘I’m hoping to have a skin graft to try and rebuild my face within the year,’ he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘They’ve already taken a picture of my face, so they know what colour to make my nose.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n

Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n

‘I can’t thank the surgeons enough. They saved my life.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

Family doctors most commonly prescribe antibiotics for nose pain in cases of\u00a0sinusitis, an infection of the sinuses.<\/p>\n

While most sinusitis cases are triggered by viruses\u2014for which antibiotics don’t work\u2014if infections persists for a long period, it can be a sign it’s caused by a bacteria.<\/p>\n

In these circumstances a medic can prescribe antibiotics to help clear the infection.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Studies suggest between one in 20 to one in six Britons get sinusitis each year, though many cases are mild and can be treated at home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As lymphoma can develop in any part of lymphatic system the symptoms patients experience can vary immensely.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For example, some may develop swollen tonsils in the mouth, a lump in the tummy, or skin rashes depending exactly where the cancer is.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, the most common sign of the disease is a painless swelling in areas like the neck, armpit or groin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Other symptoms\u2014reported by some patients\u2014include\u00a0night sweats, unexplained weight-loss, a high temperature, breathlessness and\u00a0persistent itching all over the body.<\/p>\n

Approximately 13,500 cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma\u2014the more common version of the disease\u2014are diagnosed in the UK each year, about 37 cases per day.\u00a0<\/p>\n

About half (55 per cent) of patients will survive at least a decade after being diagnosed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One in 52 men and one in 71 women will develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma over the course of their life, according to charity Cancer Research UK.\u00a0<\/p>\n

People in their 80s are the most likely to be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma of any age group.<\/p>\n

While the rates of this cancer have increased by almost a third across all age groups since the 90s there has been a small decrease in recent years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What is lymphoma?<\/a> <\/p>\n

Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph nodes, which is the body’s disease-fighting network.<\/p>\n

That network consists of the spleen, bone marrow, lymph nodes and thymus gland.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are various types of lymphoma, but two main ones: non-Hodgkin and Hodgkin.<\/p>\n

Both have much better prognoses than many types of cancer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

WHAT IS HODGKIN LYMPHOMA?<\/p>\n

Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that starts in the white blood cells. It is named after Thomas Hodgkin, an English doctor who first identified the disease in 1832.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

It affects around 2,000 people each year in the UK, and 8,500 a year in the US.<\/p>\n

Hodgkin lymphoma is most common between the ages of 20 and 24, and 75 and 79.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Five-year survival rates:<\/p>\n

The survival rates are much more favourable than most other cancers.\u00a0<\/p>\n