Olivia Williams has described a years-long delay in being diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer, during which she says her concerns were repeatedly dismissed by medical professionals. In an interview with The Times UK, the British actor discussed her experience with VIPoma, a neuroendocrine tumor that affects roughly one in a million people annually.
Williams said she experienced symptoms more than a decade ago and spent four years seeking answers. She saw ten doctors in three countries and was told at different times that she might have lupus, perimenopause, or psychological issues. One physician referred her for a psychiatric assessment.
“If someone had f—ing well diagnosed me in the four years I’d been saying I was ill, when they told me I was menopausal or had irritable bowel syndrome or [was] crazy… then one operation possibly could have cleared the whole thing and I could describe myself as cancer-free, which I cannot now ever be,” she said.
A specialist in Los Angeles eventually tested for a rare hormone, followed by a CT scan and biopsy, which led to the diagnosis. By then, the tumor had metastasized.
Since 2018, Williams has undergone procedures to remove the tumor, parts of her pancreas, spleen, liver, and gallbladder. “The metastases have kept popping up,” she said. “So we’ve been playing whack-a-mole every time they appear.”
She described receiving internal radiotherapy that involved isolation after being injected with radioactive material. “People in hazmat suits come in with a lead box of a radioactive material, which they inject into me and I become radioactive,” she said. “It’s supposed to buy me maybe a year, maybe two or three years, of freedom from treatment. In the best-case scenario it would have made [the metastases] disappear but that didn’t happen.”
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Williams is now supporting Pancreatic Cancer UK through the upcoming TCS London Marathon and is encouraging awareness around early detection. “This is where I get emotional but I’m not looking for sympathy,” she said. “I’m looking for a cheap, early test.”
